


Yggdrasil

by ragnarok12345



Series: The Ring Cycle Trilogy [3]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel, Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Comics), Thor (Movies), Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Amoradall, BAMF Darcy Lewis, BAMF Hogun, Gen, Hard Science, Hulkarcy, Infinity Gems, Jane Foster & Darcy Lewis Friendship, Jane Foster Loves Science, Norse Mythology - Freeform, Other, Shogun - Freeform, The Nine Realms, Women of Science, Yggdrasil - Freeform, lokane - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-02
Updated: 2015-08-17
Packaged: 2018-03-28 17:04:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 28
Words: 31,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3862639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ragnarok12345/pseuds/ragnarok12345
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After "Lokasenna", Hela sets events into motion that could destroy all the Nine Realms. Can our heroes overcome their feuds and defeat her plans? Written as a shooting script, this story follows "Thor: The Dark World" and is a sequel to "Ragnarök" and "Lokasenna". Ties into the Infinity Gauntlet / Thanos storyline. Lokane, Shogun, and more. Movie 3 of the Ring Cycle Trilogy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Scenes 1-2

**1\. AN APARTMENT IN WASHINGTON, D.C. - AFTERNOON**

CLOSE ON someone's lower arm, hanging off the side of a bed. The hand is slack; its small fingers are dangling. On the side of the hand closest to the thumb is a large, fading yellow bruise. Around the wrist is a wide, plain band made of a beautiful gray metal.

In the distance there is the sound of dishes clanking and light, folky music. Bright daylight glints off of the band around the wrist. Then, slowly, the sounds change - to the sounds of glasses clinking, jangly music, and low, murmuring conversation. The light shifts, too - from the bright, cool tones of afternoon to the warm, vivid colors of an evening party. The music shifts again - to a thumping dance mashup of two popular songs. Still the hand dangles there, its owner apparently unconscious. Red and yellow lights pulse across the bangle's reflective surface until, after a moment, they fade. For an instant there is only the distant sound of cars driving down the street below. Then the room becomes brighter - the warm gold of sunlight. It's morning.

**2\. AN APARTMENT IN WASHINGTON, D.C. - MORNING**

DARCY  
( _O.S._ )  
Hey.

CUT TO the foot of the bed, where DARCY LEWIS, dressed in a faded Led Zeppelin t-shirt and giant blue sweatpants, is holding a plate of Pop Tarts and scrambled eggs in one hand, and a Stark Industries mug, full of coffee, in the other. Darcy moves to the top of the bed and sits on the edge.

DARCY  
C'mon. Wake up.

For the first time we see the bed's resident: JANE FOSTER. Buried under a mountain of blankets, only her face and fan of brown hair are visible. Darcy pulls the blankets away; Jane is still dressed in her Aesir sparring gear, and her feet are still bare. She is covered in dirt and bruises and cuts, including a long red scratch down one cheek. Jane groans irritably, turns, and buries her face in the pillow.

JANE  
Go away.

Darcy shrugs amiably.

DARCY  
Suit yourself. I mean, I  _guess_  I'll just eat all these Pop Tarts by myself.  
( _sighing wistfully_ )  
Even those abysmal s'mores-flavored ones. God, what a chore.

Jane sharply turns:

JANE  
Gimme that.

She grabs the plate from Darcy and begins stuffing food into her mouth. Around a mouth full of eggs, she asks:

JANE  
How long have I been out?

Darcy sips gingerly from the mug of coffee.

DARCY  
Pretty much since you got here. About two days.

Jane boggles at the thought.

JANE  
Two d-  
( _hesitating_ )  
Your birthday party.

DARCY  
( _reassuring_ )  
Went off without a hitch.

Jane has a panicked look on her face.

DARCY  
( _continuing_ )  
Don't worry, noone saw you. You Rip Van Winkeled your way through the whole thing. You missed some really great pigs in blankets, though, if I may say so myself.

JANE  
( _worried_ )  
You're sure.

DARCY  
Of course I'm sure. I made them.

JANE  
Darcy.

DARCY  
( _laughs_ )  
Yes, I'm sure no-one saw you.

Darcy sits back a little, her expression now more serious.

DARCY  
You ready to tell me what's going on? You've been holed up here like a refugee. No e-mails, no calls. When you got here, you wouldn't even let me open the blinds. And never mind this -

She gestures at Jane's clothes.

DARCY  
( _continuing_ )  
\- this 'Mad Max' situation you've got going on with your clothes.

Jane finishes the plate, and picks up the last few bits of egg with her fingers.

JANE  
I went to Asgard.

DARCY  
( _rolling her eyes_ )  
Well, yeah, obviously. But then you didn't come back.

Jane sighs.

JANE  
Thor and I made it to Valhalla - but when we got there, it was gone.

DARCY  
What do you mean, "gone"?

JANE  
Gone, gone. The buildings, the people - everything. Only Loki was there. He had...hidden the entire city from Surtur.

DARCY  
Sur-

JANE  
Giant red demon with a giant red demon army, determined to destroy Asgard.  
( _beat_ )  
Anyway, Loki defeated him - but he and Thor died in the process. Sort of.

DARCY  
( _squinting_ )  
Can a god die?

JANE  
( _firmly_ )  
They're aliens, Darcy - not gods. They can die.  
( _beat_ )  
The stone I used for the gate device was gone by then. So I stayed with the Aesir and traveled with them - on the run from all the other demons.

Jane slowly gets up as she talks, and finds a pile of questionably clean clothes at the foot of the bed. She starts picking through it.

JANE  
Anyway, turns out Loki and Thor weren't dead -

DARCY  
( _interrupting_ )  
Ha!

JANE  
( _continuing_ )  
And so we got caught in the middle of a battle between Loki and a woman named Skadi.  
( _hesitating_ )  
Loki killed her fiance, say, a thousand years ago. So she came back with dragons and basically decimated what was left of Asgard and Vanaheim.

DARCY  
( _drily_ )  
Dragons.  
( _beat_ )  
I gotta say, this all sounds very - soap-opera.

JANE  
( _sighs_ )  
You don't know the half of it.

Jane continues rifling through the pile of clothes. She produces a University of Connecticut t-shirt and a pair of University of Virginia sweatpants.

JANE  
( _chuckling_ )  
Geez, Darcy, you've got half the ACC in here.

DARCY  
Well technically, Connecticut -

Jane shoots Darcy a look.

DARCY  
\- never mind.  
( _beat_ )  
So, you were saying, soap-opera?

Jane screws up her face into a grimace, and ducks behind the open door of Darcy's closet to change clothes. From behind the door:

JANE  
( _mumbling_ )  
I kissed Loki.

DARCY  
( _sputtering_ )  
Wha- wha- what did you just say?

JANE  
( _miserably_ )  
You heard me.

DARCY  
You cannot be serious. Loki, "you were made to be ruled" Loki? Loki, "kneel before Zod" Loki? Loki, "I just incinerated half of New York", Loki?

Jane groans.

JANE  
It's...a long story.

DARCY  
( _befuddled_ )  
I'll bet.  
( _beat)  
_ You can't just drop something like that and not explain -

Jane emerges from behind the closet door, her old clothes over one arm.

JANE  
Later. I promise. I can't even think about it right now.  
( _shaking her head_ )  
Tell me how you've been. What's been going on here?

Jane plucks the mug of coffee out of Darcy's hands and drinks from it.

DARCY  
Well, after you two left, we waited almost two months before we really started getting worried. That's when we started trying to recreate your device.

JANE  
Wait - two months? But I was barely gone that long.

Darcy gives her a solemn look.

DARCY  
( _quieter_ )  
It's been more than two years, Jane.

JANE  
( _perplexed_ )  
Two years? Then if I had stayed...

She trails off, deep in thought. Darcy waits a moment, then presses on.

DARCY  
( _continuing_ )  
Erik and I tried to rebuild what you had made - but we just couldn't. So Erik called an old friend of his - someone he had taught with at Culver. Bruce Banner.

Jane raises both eyebrows, but says nothing.

DARCY  
( _continuing_ )  
For a while, Bruce and Erik made good progress on the device. But then...SHIELD showed up.

JANE  
Oh no.

Jane crosses the room to the bed, and sits down across from Darcy.

DARCY  
They told us the project needed to be classified - that they were going to take over the whole thing. They insisted that the device was too dangerous to be "out there" in the world.  
( _shrugs_ )  
But Bruce had his doubts about SHIELD - he didn't trust them. Or at least he didn't trust  _all_ of them. So the night before SHIELD officially took over the Tromsø lab, Bruce and Erik created a fake set of schematics - for a gate that could never be built. Erik smuggled the real designs out - and I came back here.

JANE  
Holy cow.

DARCY  
( _nodding_ )  
Now, I work part-time on the staff of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. And the rest of the time, I teach at Culver. Erik and I have lunch most weeks. I see Bruce sometimes, too.  
( _laughs_ )  
I tell ya, it's one hell of a commute.

JANE  
And the designs?

DARCY  
Still hidden. But Jane, we gave up on building them. We couldn't do it without you.  
( _looks down, her voice grave_ )  
We really thought you were gone forever.

JANE  
( _smiling_ )  
I missed you, Darcy.

DARCY  
Right back at ya, weirdo.

Darcy inhales sharply, and smiles.

DARCY  
( _continuing, dismissively_ )  
Anyway. Enough of this maudlin crap.  
Now that you're up, I'm thinking we should go out tonight.

JANE  
( _reluctantly_ )  
Darcy - I really can't. If SHIELD finds me...

She trails off.

DARCY  
Yeah, yeah, SHIELD, I know. You keep saying that, and you won't say why. But as you can you see, I'm not really looking to run into SHIELD either.

Darcy stands up, and takes Jane's plate with her.

DARCY  
( _continuing_ )  
Look, we won't be walking down the middle of the National Mall or anything. We'll hit a club, have a few drinks, dance a little. It'll be good for you. Who knows - maybe you'll make out with a dude who  _isn't_  a genocidal monster.

Jane throws her bundle of Aesir clothes at Darcy, who ducks.

JANE  
Oh, shut  _up._

Darcy grins.

DARCY  
I have to go to Culver - I'm teaching a seminar after lunch. See you tonight?

Jane looks distracted, but she nods.

JANE  
Yeah, sure. Tonight.


	2. Scenes 3-4

**3\. OUTSIDE A CLUB IN ADAMS MORGAN - NIGHT**

PAN DOWN the front of an old D.C. rowhouse, painted bright teal and pink with blacked-out windows. Thumping dance music in the distance gets louder and louder as the shot hits street level and we see JANE and DARCY, approaching the front door. To one side of the door, behind a red velvet rope, is a long line of people, trailing around the block. An enormous BOUNCER, dressed all in black, smiles to Darcy as she approaches.

BOUNCER  
( _warmly_ )  
Darcy - always good to see you.

Darcy and the bouncer exchange kisses on the cheek - right, left, right again.

DARCY  
It's been too long. How are the kids?

BOUNCER  
 _Nije loš_. Lazar had the flu for a while, but he's better now.  
( _beat_ )  
Who's your friend?

CUT TO Jane and Darcy. While Darcy is dressed to the nines in sky-high heels and a chic black dress, Jane is dressed in skinny jeans and a sky-blue racerback tank top, a pair of swingy silver earrings and the gray metal cuff on one wrist. Her hair is tied back in a ponytail - a far cry from Darcy's elaborate, braided updo. Compared to the people in line, Jane looks downright casual. The bouncer raises one very skeptical eyebrow.

DARCY  
( _quickly_ )  
She doesn't have many outfits. She's... from out of town.

JANE  
( _cheerfully_ )  
Tapuakh ets, kelev, gaveenah gamahl chalalit.  
( _Subtitle_ : Apple, dog, cheese-camel-spaceship.)

The bouncer squints at Jane with suspicion, but ultimately shrugs and lets it go. He pulls the velvet rope to one side, and motions Jane and Darcy inside.

BOUNCER  
Have fun.

**4\. NIGHTCLUB INTERIOR - NIGHT**

A TRACKING SHOT follows Jane and Darcy through a dark, winding hallway lit only by a spiderweb of tiny blue LEDs along the floor. The music, bass-heavy and jangling, is nearly deafening now. Darcy takes Jane's hand and pulls her through the crowds of hip young Washingtonians, all dressed to the nines. They talk as they walk:

DARCY  
See? I told you you were underdressed.

JANE  
Cut me some slack. I wore earrings, didn't I?

Darcy shakes her head in dismay but leads on. As they weave between two packed groups of young women, Jane grumbles:

JANE  
Darcy, I don't know about this. It's  _so_  crowded. Everything smells like booze and perfume. This really isn't my -

Suddenly, the narrow hallway gives way to a VAST, cavernous room. Four levels of balconies spiral upward from a dancefloor the size of a small warehouse. Huge glass globes hung at various heights sparkle in shifting shades of red and gold and purple. And from various points on the floor, holographic projectors cast an enormous, floating, three-dimensional image of the Milky Way - complete with stars and planets - above the dancing crowd.

JANE  
( _quieter_ )  
Wow.

DARCY  
( _beaming_ )  
I knew you would like it.

JANE  
Well, it's grossly inaccurate - the Carina-Sagittarius arm is nowhere near that long -

Darcy gives Jane a look. Jane doesn't see it - she's still staring up at the slowly-spinning galaxy above them.

JANE  
( _continuing_ )  
But yeah, it's terrific.

DARCY  
I have a table over there -

She points to the third balcony, across the dancefloor and two flights up.

DARCY  
It has a card with my name on it. Just mine, not yours, you paranoid weirdo. I'll get us some drinks and meet you there.

Jane opens her mouth to protest, but Darcy has already vanished into the crowd.

JANE  
( _grumbling_ )  
Great.

Jane takes a deep breath, and starts up the steps toward the third balcony. Working her way through the crowd takes some effort, particularly given her small size. At one point a tall man in a black suit with angular features and scarred cheeks rams hard into Jane's arm as he passes in the opposite direction.

JANE  
Hey, easy there, pal.

The man puts up one hand in a sign of apology.

SUITED MAN  
Sorry about that.

He keeps moving. Jane rubs the sore spot on her arm as she keeps walking.

Jane passes the first balcony, and works her way through the second. For an instant, the shot lingers on another man in the crowd, also in a black suit. He is holding two fingers to one ear, and his eyes are fixed on Jane. But when Jane looks again, the man is gone.

JANE  
( _muttering to herself as she walks_ )  
Creeps.

Jane stops short as she arrives at the third balcony. Just ahead of her is a small, square table overlooking the dance-floor. Darcy's name is neatly printed on a silver card perched on a slender metal stalk. And standing on the far side of the table is a third, black-suited man whom keen-eyed viewers will recognize as GRANT WARD.

GRANT  
Hello, Doctor Foster.

Jane's eyes widen in panic. She reaches for her back pocket and produces a switchblade, but she fumbles and it clatters to the ground. The music becomes a numb pulse in the background, and her vision is blurred. Jane staggers a little and grabs at the back of a nearby chair. She grabs at her arm in the place where the first man collided with her.

JANE  
You - you drugged me.

Grant touches two fingers to one ear.

GRANT  
Rumlow? Yeah, it's Ward. I've got her. Send Jack up here to help get her out.

Jane takes a deep, shuddering breath. She looks down at the floor, then back up at Ward. Without warning, she scoops the knife up in one hand and FLINGS it at Ward. The blade embeds itself in his shoulder with a THUD. He grunts in pain, and as he pulls the knife out, Jane turns and RUNS.

She nearly collides with Darcy, who is just behind her, one bubbly pink drink in each hand.

DARCY  
Jane? What the-

JANE  
( _hoarsely_ )  
Run!

Jane grabs Darcy by one arm and the two of them HURTLE back down the steps. They pass the second balcony, and as they run a tranquilizer dart fired by the second suited man narrowly misses Jane.

DARCY  
Jane, who was that g-

Jane shakes her head - there is no time to explain. They continue running, now passing the first balcony. The lights in the room have shifted to a sinister red, and a spare, minimalist techno song thuds like a heartbeat in the distance.

Suddenly, both women skid to a stop. Just ahead of them is the first suited man, whom even keener-eyed viewers might recognize as HYDRA agent BROCK RUMLOW. He is holding a gun - a real one, not a tranquilizer gun - and is aiming it at Darcy's head. The crowd around them clears a wide circle; except for the music, the place has gone silent.

BROCK  
( _smiling unpleasantly_ )  
Jane Foster. I have to say, you're pretty adventurous for an astrophysicist.

JANE  
( _thickly, still drugged_ )  
What do you want?

BROCK  
Word is that you've got the recipe for interstellar travel. My employers are understandably interested.

JANE  
( _slowly, slurred_ )  
You're SHIELD.

Brock laughs abruptly.

BROCK  
Please. SHIELD has protected you - hidden you - since the minute you returned to Earth. Though obviously not well enough. And anyway, those idiots don't have a clue as to your value.

He cocks the gun.

BROCK  
But  _we_  do.  
( _beat_ )  
Now, come quietly, both of you - and your friend won't get hurt.

DARCY  
( _icily_ )  
We're not going anywhere with you, asshole.

Brock gives a slight shrug.

BROCK  
Suit yourself.

He SHOOTS - and the scene suddenly shifts to SLOW-MOTION. As the bullet spirals through the air toward them, Jane quickly whirls around in front of Darcy, putting her body between Darcy and the projectile. For an instant, Jane and Darcy are face-to-face, each holding the other one's hands, both wide-eyed. Then, as the bullet comes within an inch of the back of Jane's neck, the entire scene EXPLODES in white light.


	3. Scene 5

**5\. A MOUNTAINTOP IN ASGARD - SUNSET**

AERIAL SHOT of the side of a steep mountain, cast in dark silhouette against the setting suns. Gradually we begin to discern a figure, climbing the sheer rock face. CUT TO the climber - devoid of his spectacular armor, dressed in plain clothes, it's HEIMDALL. He digs into crevices here and there with his bare hands, and hurls himself upward. His face is a knot of concentration:

HEIMDALL  
( _panting_ )  
'Climb Baldrshol', she said. 'The view is unmatched', she said. 'It will be easy'-

With great effort, he propels his body forward.

HEIMDALL  
( _continuing_ )  
\- she said.

CLOSE ON Heimdall as he heaves his massive body up over the final ledge of the mountain's top. The shot pulls out to show the spectacular, bruised colors of sunset, the smaller mountains and foothills in the distance - and, several feet away, a woman, dressed in a green jumpsuit and a long green duster coat, sitting cross-legged on a rock. She is facing away from HEIMDALL, looking west, toward the empty city of Valhalla.

AMORA  
( _amiably_ )  
Took you long enough.

Heimdall looks shocked.

HEIMDALL  
What in the name of -  
( _beat_ )  
How in the Realms did you do that? I was  _flying_ up the side of that mountain.

Amora says nothing, but only smirks. She peels back the duster jacket draped over her knees, revealing the lower legs not of a young woman, but of a goat.

HEIMDALL  
( _accusingly_ )  
Cheater.

She makes a small gesture, and her legs return to normal. Heimdall brushes dirt and bits of rock off his arms and torso, and moves to sit down next to Amora. His expression is irritable:

HEIMDALL  
Leave them that way. It suits you.

AMORA  
Don't be sour. It was important that I win this one.  
( _beat_ )  
I needed you to owe me a favor.

Heimdall sits down next to her, and they look out across Asgad in silence. After a moment:

HEIMDALL  
Alright, then. What do you want from me?

Amora turns and looks at him directly.

AMORA  
( _with feeling_ )  
I want you to forgive me.  
( _beat_ )  
Forgive what I did. Forgive me my stupidity. Let us again be -

Heimdall holds up one hand to stop her; his expression is weary.

HEIMDALL  
I did not climb a mountain for this.

He rises and turns to climb back down, but Amora catches his arm.

AMORA  
Please do not go. We need not speak of it now, but -

She begins to say something else, then falters.

AMORA  
( _repeating, resigned_ )  
We need not speak of it now.

HEIMDALL  
( _quietly_ )  
It will be some time.

Heimdall looks past her, out across the plains.

She musters a smile.

AMORA  
Of course. Please, sit with me -

Amora gestures to the flat rock beside her, and Heimdall sits down again.

AMORA  
( _continuing_ )  
\- and tell me what you see.

Heimdall takes a deep breath, and exhales through his nose. His gold eyes become unfocused as he looks out at the now-dark, starry sky. As he begins to speak, he relaxes visibly:

HEIMDALL  
A tidal disruption event near Muspelheim. The Fafnir star, being pulled into a million brilliant strands. Or - not strands. More like a whirlpool of snow or ice.  
( _beat_ )  
A luminous red nova on the far side of Hel. Like a puddle of beautiful fire. Perhaps a few days left before it is too faded to see.  
( _beat_ )  
And a light echo off of the W-

He hesitates.

HEIMDALL  
I - I do not understand what I am seeing. Like some kind of tear - but reflective. I cannot describe it. It is -

Heimdall presses his eyes closed, and when he opens them again he turns to Amora in confusion. He shakes his head:

HEIMDALL  
I do not recognize it.

AMORA  
( _frowning_ )  
Can you show me?

Heimdall nods. Amora closes her eyes - when they open again they are a milky white. Blind, she reaches out for Heimdall, and he takes her small hands in his. As he does, his gaze flickers down to her fingers for just an instant.

Amora mutters something under her breath; her eyes shine gold, like Heimdall's. CLOSE ON her face for a long moment as her eyes begin to flutter, her breath quickens, and she presses her lips into a thin, tense line. She releases Heimdall's hands, and the green color floods her irises once more. She looks up at Heimdall, clearly TERRIFIED:

AMORA  
We must hurry back to the Aldrtrad. There is no time.


	4. Scenes 6-7

**6\. THE GATES OF VALHALLA - AFTERNOON**

LOW ANGLE SHOT of the great, gold gates of Valhalla, and the dusty ground before them. In the distance, out of focus, places where the gates have been burnt and charred are visible. A lean figure, dressed all in black and carrying a long, curved black blade, steps into the frame: it's LOKI.

Loki approaches the gates and raps on them with one hand; the knock produces a resounding BOOM.

LOKI  
Brother! Open these gates, I would speak with -

The gates slowly, reluctantly swing open - apparently of their own accord. Loki falls silent as he sees what lies beyond - the wide, majestic vista of Valhalla, but completely empty - devoid of life. A TRACKING SHOT follows Loki as he walks through the open gates, down the wide boulevard that leads to Odin's palace. The once-lustrous metal facades of the buildings around him are tarnished and gray, and any place where grass had been is now burnt beyond recognition.

Loki looks at his surroundings as he walks, his expression grim. Many (but not all) of the buildings are damaged, some of them quite badly. Off to one side in the courtyard is a makeshift mass grave, clearly recently dug. Small, feral animals skitter across the path as Loki nears the palace. The afternoon sun casts long shadows across empty balconies, abandoned stalls, and roofs cracked in half by Surtur's demons.

When he reaches the palace itself, Loki pauses, standing to one side of the great open doorway. He leans toward the doorway, listening for a moment. Then, taking a breath, he steps inside.

**7\. VALHALLA THRONE ROOM - AFTERNOON**

Inside, the throne room is badly damaged. There is a hole in the roof through which the rosy light of the late afternoon shines in one uninterrupted beam. All around the hall, enormous hunk of marble and metal are all that remain of the towering statues and chiseled steps that once decorated the space. And on the throne, his head in his hands, is THOR.

LOKI  
Hello, brother.

Thor looks up. His eyes are rimmed in red, and he looks as if he hasn't slept or eaten in days. His voice is a low, threatening growl:

THOR  
Get. Out.

LOKI  
I cannot.

THOR  
( _threatening_ )  
It is not a request.

Loki steps closer to the throne.

LOKI  
Your people face a great threat. They need you.

Loki hesitates.

LOKI  
( _continuing_ )  
As do I.

Thor stares at Loki, his expression hateful. Then, slowly, a manic grin breaks across his face. He laughs - a harsh, abrupt laugh that echoes in the empty hall. After a long moment, he rises to his feet, and slowly moves toward Loki. He spits each word:

THOR  
You killed our brother.  
( _beat_ )  
You destroyed our kingdom.  
( _beat_ )  
And you stole her from me.

Thor's face is now very near to Loki's. His voice is heavy with disdain:

THOR  
( _emphasizing each word_ )  
You must be truly desperate to come to me for help.

Loki stares back at Thor.

LOKI  
( _with emotion_ )  
Yes, I killed Baldr. It is an unforgivable crime, and it is one I will live with for the rest of my days.  
( _more firmly_ )  
But even you must realize th _at I_ did not destroy Asgard. Even you must see it was our father's greed and his petty wrath that caused Surtur to annihilate half this kingdom.

THOR  
( _disbelieving_ )  
He loved you as a son - he died loving you - and still you hate him.

Loki shakes his head.

LOKI  
I do not hate him. But I alone saw him for what he really was - not a god, but a man. A flawed man. A man who used his friends and abused his power; only you were ever exempt.

THOR  
( _roaring_ )  
You destroyed this kingdom -

LOKI  
( _interrupting, also shouting_ )  
I  _saved_ this kingdom!

THOR  
If I had been he-

LOKI  
( _savagely_ )  
But you weren't! You walked out on this kingdom and its people. You left Mjolnir, and you walked out those -

THOR  
( _interrupting, his voice ragged_ )  
You stole Jane Foster from me!

There is a long pause; Thor's last words reverberate in the hall. Loki composes himself and narrows his gaze:

LOKI  
( _carefully_ )  
She is not a 'thing' to be stolen, brother.

THOR  
( _raw_ )  
You tricked her. You clouded her mind and you turned her against me and you  _deceived_ her -

LOKI  
What I told Jane was true and you know it. You knew what would have happened if she had stayed. And when she left Asgard, she left of her own free will.

THOR  
( _bitterly_ )  
You lie.

Loki looks at Thor in disappointment.

LOKI  
( _quietly_ )  
I have told a thousand lies. But believe me when I say that the lies I tell are nothing compared to the lies you tell yourself.

Thor seethes with rage.

THOR  
Get out. I will not ask again.

Loki stands his ground.

LOKI  
I cannot leave yet.  
( _with feeling_ )  
Hate me. But I beg you not to abandon your people. They need your help.  
( _beat_ )  
I need your help.

THOR  
( _hissing_ )  
I will  _never_ help you.

LOKI  
Please, broth-

Without warning, Thor LUNGES at Loki, reaching for his throat with both hands. As he makes contact, however, Loki shimmers with green light, and disintegrates before Thor's eyes. Thor roars in rage - a long, harrowing sound.

CUT TO Loki, outside the doors to the throne room, where he had been standing all along. Thor's scream of anger still echoes in the hall as Loki takes a deep breath - and walks away.


	5. Scene 8

**8\. A DESOLATE WASTELAND - DAY**

There is a blinding EXPLOSION of white light and a loud CRACKING sound. Flickers of electrical energy snap across the field of view. As the white light fades, we see a bleak, gray, windswept wasteland. The ground is dry and cracked, and only a little pale moonlight emerges from between thick, ink-black clouds. In the distance, intermittent flashes of lightning strike down in wide, barren craters. And in the foreground, in the wake of the explosion, we see JANE and DARCY, huddled together.

There is a split-second of silence - then, with a groan, Jane collapses to the ground.

DARCY  
( _with alarm_ )  
Jane!

Darcy grabs Jane's arms and heaves the smaller woman up. She slings Jane over her left shoulder, leaving her right arm free.

DARCY  
Hey. Hey, hey, hey.  _Jane._  
( _shaking Jane's shoulder with her free hand_ )  
Stay with me.

In the distance, there is a sudden, percussive sound - both like a human scream and a dog's bark. Plaintive and harrowing, it repeats several times, each time louder than the last. Upon hearing the sound, Jane starts to stir.

DARCY  
( _panicking_ )  
Shit. Shit-shit-shit-shit-shit.

CUT TO the horizon. Two dark, indistinct figures come into view, moving quickly but erratically toward Darcy and Jane. They're humanoid, but they move like broken, strange animals. And the terrible barking sound gets louder still.

JANE  
( _thickly_ )  
Guh- gun.

Still drugged and shivering violently, Jane gestures widely toward her back. Tucked into her belt is a Colt 1911 - black with small, burled-wood panels - with the words "For Peggy" engraved neatly just above the left grip.

Darcy starts to protest:

DARCY  
Jane, where the-

Jane shakes her head - slowly, but firmly.

JANE  
 _Now_ , Darce.

The two creatures are much closer now. Darcy hesitates, then draws the gun. As she raises the gun to shoulder level, time seems to slow. Her first shot sinks solidly into the left shoulder of the closer creature. The creature reels back in pain as bits of bone and dead flesh spray from the wound. Then the second creature gives a long, anguished howl. Both creatures break into a dead run, tearing across the bleak wastes toward Darcy and Jane.

Darcy shoots again - and then five times more. The empty shells leap outward from the gun, moving in lazy arcs toward Darcy's right shoulder. After seven bullets are fired, Darcy lowers the gun. The shot pulls out to show the shattered, motionless bodies of the two creatures, less than twenty feet from Jane and Darcy.

Jane, still leaning on Darcy's left shoulder, laughs and wheezes:

JANE  
( _shivering uncontrollably_ )  
W-wow, Rambo. Where did you l-learn to do that?

Darcy, still stunned, continues to stare at the two bodies.

DARCY  
( _slowly_ )  
Bruce and I would go shooting together. After Tromsø.  
( _beat_ )  
But we only shot those paper targets.  
( _still shaken_ )  
 _Jesus_. Jane, I think those things were human.

JANE  
( _oblivious_ ; i _n a groggy, sing-song voice_ )  
B- Bruce Banner. Lean, green and mean -

She lapses into a coughing fit, and her knees buckle. Darcy drops the gun and supports Jane with both hands.

DARCY  
( _reproachfully_ )  
You are  _so_  stoned.

JANE  
Oh, you l-love it.  
( _coughing weakly_ )  
Will your house be g-green? Will your c-car be green? Will your  _kids_  be green?

Jane's face is suddenly deadly serious; she grabs the spangled shoulder of Darcy's black dress in one hand.

JANE  
( _gravely_ )  
Darce, you have to invite me to the wed-

In mid-sentence, Jane's eyes roll back into her head. She blacks out, and her body goes limp in Darcy's arms.

DARCY  
( _muttering_ )  
Of  _course_.

In the distance, there is a low rumbling sound. It gets steadily louder, punctuated by loud barks and harrowing howls. Darcy looks down in horror as the ground beneath her feet begins to shake. She then looks back up at the horizon - a huge PACK of the undead, feral humans have appeared, and are moving toward Darcy and Jane at BREAKNECK speed.

CLOSE ON Darcy's face as she registers the threat. Breathing deep, she starts to step backward, casting her eyes frantically left and right. Seeing nothing, she tightens her grip on the unconscious Jane, takes a deep breath, and closes her eyes.

Just as the creatures are drawing close enough to leap at Darcy, there is a loud, dull BOOM. A circle of green light burns into the ground around Darcy and Jane, and an iridescent dome of light rises up from it, surrounding them both. Inside the dome, Darcy's hair begins to rise up in the air, as if lifted by static electricity. For an instant, everything is still -

Then there is a second BOOM, and the fate-spinner SKULD appears inside the dome. Without a word, she reaches out and wraps her arms around Darcy and Jane -

\- and then all three women vanish.


	6. Scene 9

**9\. A DIMLY-LIT CAVE – DAY:**

CUT TO BLACK. As the camera lingers, an image resolves – it's an underground cavern, low and small, lit by faint traces of glowing lichen clinging to the rocky walls and ceiling. For an instant, the scene is silent – then with an audible CRACK, Skuld, Jane, and Darcy appear.

Darcy staggers down to one knee, Jane still in her arms.

DARCY  
( _gasping_ )  
Holy shit. Holy shit!  
( _to Skuld_ )  
What the hell was  _that_?

Skuld turns to Darcy. Her skin is pale, her eyes are unfocused, and a trickle of red-black blood is beginning to form below her left nostril. Like Darcy, her breath is ragged.

SKULD  
( _disoriented_ )  
What?

DARCY  
( _angrily_ )  
Who are you?

As Darcy stares at Skuld, her expression changes:

DARCY  
( _gesturing_ )  
You've got some – your nose –

Skuld touches her hand to her nose and inspects the blood on her fingertips. She looks troubled, but says nothing; instead, she rubs her fingers together until the blood all but disappears.

SKULD  
( _nodding toward Jane_ )  
Put her down. I can help her.

Darcy stays still; her grip on Jane's shoulders and knees tightens a little.

DARCY  
( _coolly_ )  
No. Answers first.

SKULD  
( _gravely_ )  
There will be time for that. But right now, your friend is suffering from blood poisoning, and she's going into shock. If you do not let me help her, she  _will_  die.

Darcy hesitates a moment, then reluctantly lays Jane's unconscious body down on the floor of the cavern. Skuld kneels next to Jane, and moves her hands in wide circles over Jane's head and torso. As she does, tiny black particles begin to bead on Jane's skin and rise up, moving around Skuld's hands in a thick black cloud. As she works, she speaks to Darcy:

SKULD  
My name is Skuld. I am one of three Norns – workers, tasked with managing the lives and deaths of Asgard. Some call us "fate-spinners"…

She gathers the black cloud between her hands and presses it into an oily black ball. Between her palms, the ball shimmers and flickers out of existence.

SKULD  
( _continuing_ )  
But it would be more accurate to say that we deal with the consequences of the fates that mortals make for themselves…

She looks up at Darcy.

SKULD  
( _continuing_ )  
...If that makes sense.

DARCY  
It doesn't.

Skuld merely shrugs, and looks back down at Jane. She moves her hands over Jane's arms, gathering the same black particles as she goes. As her hands pass downward, Jane's metal cuff glows a faint blue.

SKULD  
( _quietly_ )  
Fascinating.  
( _looking up at Darcy_ )  
That bracelet – do you know whether –

Jane suddenly bursts into a ragged, hoarse cough. She sits bolt upright, and her eyes shoot open. Darcy exhales suddenly, and laughs.

DARCY  
Oh, thank God.

Jane gets her bearings, and looks around.

JANE  
( _between coughs_ )  
Skuld?

SKULD  
( _warmly, with evident relief_ )  
Jane Foster. It is very good to see you – though I wish it was under happier circumstances.

DARCY  
( _in disbelief_ )  
You two know each other?

Skuld rises to her feet, and crosses to one side of the cavern, where any number of small openings have been carved into the rock wall. She reaches into one and produces a large water-skin.

JANE  
( _to Darcy_ )  
We met on Asgard. She saved my life when I was on the run from a pack of wolves.  
( _beat_ )  
Well, they  _looked_  like wolves, anyway.

Skuld returns, and passes the water-skin to Jane. Jane accepts it gratefully, and takes a gulp.

JANE  
Thanks.

DARCY  
( _to Skuld_ )  
So - where are we?

SKULD  
( _thoughtfully_ )  
We call it "den mørke siden av Yggdrasil" - 'the dark side of the tree'. The same tree, the same branches - but drowned in shadow. Steeped in death.  
( _beat_ )  
And that's what you saw out there. Those creatures - those  _draugr_ \- are the lifeless reflections of humans you know and love back on Midgard.

Skuld gestures toward the cave mouth.

SKULD  
( _continuing_ )  
Somewhere here there is a  _draugr_  Jane, a  _draugr_  Skuld.  _Draugr_  Midgard - this place - and  _draugr_  Asgard. Which is why I have made this shelter here - so that I can survive the torrent of gray death long enough to find my way back home.

Jane and Darcy just  _stare_ at Skuld.

DARCY  
You're...gonna need to back up a little, sister.

Skuld takes a seat, cross-legged, down on the rocky ground opposite Darcy.

SKULD  
Very well.

She lays her hands on her knees, palms up, and flexes her fingers almost imperceptibly. Nine tiny balls of light in various colors appear above her two hands.

SKULD  
The Aesir believe that the nine realms are worlds – Asgard, Midgard, Jotunheim, and so on. It's charming, really – but completely wrong. There are obviously many other worlds. Hala, the Kree homeworld; Xander, home of the Nova Corps. Spartax, Knowhere, Haven – there are thousands. Millions, perhaps.

The nine globes burst apart into a flat cloud of tiny pinpricks of white light. The cloud casts dappled shadows across the faces of the three women.

SKULD  
( _continuing_ )  
The nine realms are not worlds at all – they are nine  _dimensions_  of our reality, our space. On a daily basis we only really perceive three of those dimensions – or four, I suppose, if you include time.

Skuld lifts her hands and pulls the cloud apart - stretching it so that it is no longer flat, but occupies a spherical space in front of her.

SKULD  
Beyond our reality – our nine dimensions – there is another reality. Like ours, it is made up of nine dimensions, only four of which we use or understand.

Each of the tiny pinpricks of light shimmers, shivers, and splits into two separate points - one of light, and one that is as black as the poison she previously pulled from Jane. Skuld draws her right hand upward and pulls the black particles away so that there is one spherical cloud of light, and one of darkness.

JANE  
( _thoughtfully_ )  
Steinhardt-Turok.

SKULD  
What?

JANE  
Steinhardt and Turok. Two thinkers on Earth – on Midgard – who proposed, more or less, the same idea you're describing.  
( _nodding toward the two spheres_ )  
The idea that the present universe – all that is – came about when our "reality", for lack of a better word, collided with a parallel "reality".

Jane gives Skuld a curious look.

JANE  
( _continuing_ )  
They imagined a cyclical universe – that our two realities come back together every trillion years or so in a tremendous collision. But they had never been able to prove it.

SKULD  
( _laughing lightly_ )  
I can see why Loki is so fascinated with you.

DARCY  
( _cutting in)  
_ Wait, Loki's fasc-

Jane hits Darcy hard on the shoulder.

SKULD  
( _oblivious_ )  
Your thinkers were right. The universe  _is_ cyclical. You and I know only the cycle we're in. And for our purposes, that is enough. We live and die – and in some cases, live again. But it is all within the span of our cycle, our trillion years.

JANE  
But Hela is different.

SKULD  
( _nodding_ )  
You and I belong to our reality. Those creatures out there belong to this  _draugr_ reality. But Hela somehow exists  _between_  the two. She is a constant – a constant who has lived through this cycle and many other cycles before it.

Skuld makes a small gesture, and the two spheres, dark and light, merge back into one and then vanish.

SKULD  
( _continuing_ )  
The collisions don't affect her. She sees it all.

JANE  
She said she was Loki's daughter. Loki has lived through all the cycles too?

Skuld gets up, and goes to the far wall. She produces a small sack and returns. As she speaks, she begins producing bits of hard bread from the bag and handing them to Jane and Darcy:

SKULD  
I don't think so. I believe there have been as many Lokis as there have been cycles. And as many Janes, and as many Skulds. The cycles remain  _quite_  similar, from one to the next, because there is dark energy that stabilizes each cyclical collision. There has always been an Asgard. There have always been humans. Certain things remain largely the same from one cycle to the next, because dark energy keeps things…predictable. Stable.

DARCY  
( _between bites_ )  
Dark energy – like the energy Odin used to send Thor back to Earth.

SKULD  
( _nodding_ )  
Exactly. Hela has come to understand the nature of this dark energy, and the nature of the cycles. And she has the stone. As you know, the stone provides sufficient power to create gates within our reality. It may not surprise you, then, to find out that the stone also provides sufficient power -

JANE  
( _finishing_ )  
\- to create gates between our reality and this..

DARCY  
Bizarro reality. I think the word you're looking for is 'bizarro'.

JANE  
Thanks.

SKULD  
( _nods_ )  
And by creating those gates between this reality and ours, she creates instability. She disrupts the dark energy.

DARCY  
Why would she do that?

SKULD  
( _carefully_ )  
It is difficult for you or I or any mortal being to imagine seeing what she has seen. I believe that living across the cycles has driven her quite mad. She wants to bridge the two realities so that they do not collide again. She thinks that she can somehow  _stop_  the cycle.

JANE  
But she can't.

SKULD  
She can't?

Jane's expression is alarmed. She rises to her feet; Darcy joins her.

JANE  
She can't stop the cycle. If Steinhardt and Turok were right…then it can't be stopped. It's endless. If she creates that kind of instability, she won't  _prevent_  the next collision - she'll  _cause_  it. The cycle starts again. And our universe starts over - but without us.  
( _beat_ )  
If she tries, she will end all life as we know it.

Skuld stands up, too.

SKULD  
( _gravely_ )  
Then we must do everything in our power to stop her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For more info on Steinhardt and Turok's (non-fictional) cyclic model of the universe, to include their discussion of nine-dimensional membranes, cyclic collisions, and dark energy, I heartily recommend their book "Endless Universe: Beyond the Big Bang."


	7. Scenes 10-11

**10\. ÄLDRTRÄD MEETING-HALL - NIGHT:**

CLOSE ON the back of someone's head - a woman, with long dark hair partially pinned up in an intricate coil of narrow braids. She is dressed in a simple gray robe with a wide red sash at the waist. Beyond her, out of focus, are dozens of guests, all seated at a large round table lit by a dazzling array of candles. The guests are deep in a loud, heated debate – some are standing, others are gesturing wildly and pounding the table with their fists.

The woman turns, and we see her face for the first time: it's SIF. She leans to her right, and murmurs something inaudible to someone out of view. The shot PULLS OUT and we see HOGUN beside her. He is dressed in a simple black robe, with a wide blue sash. Upon hearing whatever she said, his expression changes almost imperceptibly.

As if on cue, both Sif and Hogun rise to their feet. Seeing them, the entire table rises as well. Among the guests are some familiar faces, including FANDRAL and VOLSTAGG. An older man in green robes touches two fingers to his right temple and inclines his chin toward Hogun; many (but not all) of the other guests follow suit.

OLDER MAN  
_Min kung_. We will recess until your return.

Hogun raises one eyebrow, and looks at Sif.

SIF  
( _to the guests_ )  
Please continue without us. We will not be away for long.

The older man gives Sif a look of undisguised loathing, then looks back to Hogun.

OLDER MAN  
_Min kung._ Your court does not recognize this woman –

CUT TO Fandral, halfway down the table.

FANDRAL  
( _exasperated_ )  
Not this again.

HOGUN  
( _to the older man_ )  
This woman will be my wife - and your queen. Her name is Sif Valisdottir. And as long as I am king, Tomatsu, you will honor her words as you honor mine.

There is an uncomfortable silence; at length, Sif lifts her chin and addresses the table again:

SIF  
In my absence, Fandral Asmundson will be my  _röstbärare_ ; he speaks for me.

HOGUN  
And Volstagg Halvarson will be mine.  
( _gesturing_ )  
Continue.

The camera lingers for a moment on Tomatsu, the older man who had spoken up. The shot then follows Sif and Hogun as they leave the room together; the table erupts in chaos behind them.

**11\. ALDRTRAD BALCONY – NIGHT:**

CUT TO a wide shot of a vast balcony, carved out of the side of the towering Aldrtrad. Sif is already leaning on the balcony's edge, looking up at a cold night sky dotted with stars. Hogun joins her.

HOGUN  
Do not let Tomatsu trouble you. He is loyal – but misguided. He was close to my father, and with my father gone, he fears change.  
( _beat_ )  
He is only one man.

Sif turns toward Hogun, leaning on her left elbow.

SIF  
He is not only one man. Every man, woman, and child in Vanaheim resents me.

HOGUN  
They resent the idea of uniting our two kingdoms. Not you.

SIF  
( _shrugging_ )  
For them, there is no difference.

HOGUN  
( _earnestly_ )  
I will not let them torment you. We  _will_  be together.

Sif reaches out with one hand and runs her fingernails down the length of Hogun's arm. She inclines her head up, toward a smaller balcony above them.

SIF  
If you are willing to do a little climbing, we could be together right now.  
( _with a sly grin_ )  
I think they will be arguing for some time.

Hogun catches Sif's hand mid-movement, and lifts it to his lips.

HOGUN  
( _murmuring_ )  
I am sure we could keep ourselves occupied.

They lean toward each other to kiss –

\- but they are interrupted by the sudden and unannounced arrival of a VANIR GUARD. The guard, breathless, touches two fingers to his temple:

VANIR GUARD   
_Anda av Äldrträd, min kung._

Hogun gives a low, almost inaudible growl.

HOGUN  
( _irritably_ )  
_Anda av Yggdrasil –_ and this had better be a damn emergency.

VANIR GUARD  
( _nervously_ )  
It is, my king.  
( _beat_ )  
Loki Odinson is here - and he is demanding to see you both.


	8. Scene 12

**12\. INT**   **ÄLDRTRÄD THRONE ROOM – NIGHT**

CUT TO a domed room with vaulted ceilings, carved from the great tree itself. Moonlight pours into the room through small round windows near the roof, down on to a round wood table with six chairs. On the far side of the table, LOKI is facing away from the camera, his hands clasped behind his back as he looks up at the night sky.

Sif and Hogun enter the room, followed closely by Volstagg and Fandral. Seeing Sif, Loki turns and brings one fist to his chest – a modified version of the traditional Aesir salute, without the kneeling. He does not, however, salute Hogun.

LOKI  
( _with a half-smile_ )  
All-Mother.

Sif narrows her gaze.

SIF  
( _coolly_ )  
Loki.  
( _beat_ )  
I hope this is important. You interrupted –

LOKI  
( _interrupting_ )  
Delicate negotiations for the unification of Asgard and Vanaheim. Yes, I'm sure. I am also sure I do not need to tell either of you what a terrible idea  _that_  is.

SIF  
( _drily_ )  
Thanks for the concern. If only I could rule half as well as you did.  
( _beat_ )  
Remind me - how many days did it take for you to burn Valhalla to the ground?

LOKI  
I saved Valhalla. If I had wanted to destroy it, I would have married the crown princess of Asgard's mortal enemy and just…hoped for the best.  
( _beat_ )  
Because in all of history,  _that_  approach never went wrong.

SIF  
Ah, but before you could propose you would have needed to pry your lips off your brother's intended.  
( _leaning toward Loki; whispering loudly_ )  
I am sure Thor handled  _that_ well.

LOKI  
About as well as you handled Alrik on the Vanir plains. Did you even  _wait_  to see his face before flying the flag of surrender?

Fandral clears his throat.

FANDRAL  
Laufeyson - get to the point.

Loki drags his gaze from Sif and addresses the group:

LOKI  
Hela has left Hel, and she has taken the time stone with her.

There is a pause before anyone speaks.

VOLSTAGG  
( _in confusion_ )  
She cannot leave Hel. Odin made it so.

LOKI  
Odin is dead. His magic died with him. Hela is free to go where she likes and do what she wants.

FANDRAL  
( _incredulous_ )  
You gave her the stone?

LOKI  
She found it herself, after the battle of Valhalla. But I did show her how to use it, in exchange for my life - and Thor's.

Sif gives Loki a strange look, but says nothing.

HOGUN  
What will she do with it?

LOKI  
She claims that all of reality is part of some...cycle. That there have been other worlds before ours. She claims that she alone has lived to see all of them.  
( _beat_ )  
I believe she wants to use the stone to put a stop to this cycle.

He makes a frustrated sound.

LOKI  
( _continuing_ )  
...If indeed such a cycle even exists.

WOMAN'S VOICE  
( _O.S_.)  
It does.

CUT TO the room's entrance, where AMORA and HEIMDALL have appeared. Everyone turns to look. Amora steps forward, her hands pressed together and to her lips, as if in prayer.

AMORA  
Ours is only one of two realities, bound together by forces more powerful than time itself. Once every age, our universe collides with another universe – like ours, but dark and wild and strange. When they collide, there is an explosion – and from that all life is created anew.

VOLSTAGG  
( _with a tone of warning)_  
What you describe is heresy. We know from the ancients that Ymir's bones -

AMORA  
( _interrupting, harshly_ )  
There was never an Ymir. There were never bones. There is only the cycle of expansion and collision; life, and death… and life.  
( _beat_ )  
Hela thinks she can stop it all by destroying the fabric that separates our reality and that sister universe -  _den mørke siden av treet_.

Upon hearing this phrase, Sif tightens her grip on the back of the chair nearest her.

SIF  
( _frowning_ )  
The _draugr_ world.

HOGUN  
The _d_ _raugr_ are a myth. A story told to frighten children.

HEIMDALL  
( _shaking his head_ )  
I've seen them, through the rifts that Hela is creating.

FANDRAL  
Rifts?

AMORA  
Holes. Tunnels. She can open the gates, so to speak, and let the Draugr into our reality - primarily into Midgard, to be precise. But to actually collapse the two realities, she needs a much greater power source.

VOLSTAGG  
She  _has_  power. She has the stone.

HEIMDALL  
She has  _one_  stone. There are five others.

CUT TO Loki. His expression is distant – and pained.

LOKI  
The stone she has isn't enough – or else her plans would already have come to fruition.

FANDRAL  
( _to Amora_ )  
Where are the others?

Amora says nothing, but stares instead at Loki.

LOKI  
Thanos.  
( _beat_ )  
He has all five stones?

AMORA  
Not yet. At least - I do not think so. But with Hela at his side, there is very little to stop him.

SIF  
You weren't able to help him. Why should she make any difference?

Loki paces around the great table.

LOKI  
As much as it pains me to admit it, Hela's power dwarfs my own.  
( _beat_ )  
We must stop her - and get the stone back - before she reaches Thanos.

Amora nods. Fandral shakes his head and holds up one hand:

FANDRAL  
This all seems rather convenient.

SIF  
I agree.  
( _to the group; gesturing toward Loki_ )  
Everything he has done so far has been aimed at taking the stone – and its power – for himself.

By now Loki is across the table from Sif. He raps the table sharply with one hand.

LOKI  
And when I saved your life on the Vanir plains, how did that serve my interests? You were more circumspect then, chanting your last rites, ready to meet death between a dragon's jaws.

HOGUN  
He is right.

Hogun walks to Sif, and puts one hand on her upper arm.

HOGUN  
( _quieter, with feeling_ )  
I do not trust him either, but… I owe him your life.

SIF  
My life, perhaps – but also your father's death, and the death of countless others on that battlefield.  
( _beat_ )  
If it were not for Loki, the All-Father would still be alive, and Asgard would still be whole.

Loki opens his mouth to protest, but someone else speaks first:

HEIMDALL  
If it were not for Loki, Valhalla would be ash.

Everyone turns and looks at Heimall in surprise. No-one looks more surprised than Loki.

HEIMDALL  
The All-F-  
( _hesitating_ )  
Odin was a good man, but he could not have protected the Aesir homeland from Surtur as Loki did.  
( _to Sif_ )  
But if you still do not trust him - then at least trust me. As much as Skadi was a monster, Hela is a thousand times worse. And she will destroy our world to get her way. Our interests are, at the very least, aligned.

There is a pause as Sif watches Heimdall, thinking. Then she takes a breath:

SIF  
( _to Heimdall_ )  
I trust  _you_ , my brother.

She glances at Loki, but says nothing.

FANDRAL  
So what now?

SIF  
( _grimly_ )  
We must stop Hela from destroying all our worlds. But if we do not first protect Midgard against the Draugr, there will be no lives left on those worlds to save. First things first.  
( _to Amora_ )  
If we can stop the tide of the Draugr on Midgard, can you seal Hela's rifts?

AMORA  
( _uncertain_ )  
I can try.

Heimdall turns to her, his expression grave.

HEIMDALL  
( _seriously_ )  
All we would need is enough time to find Hela.

Amora gives Heimdall a faint, wry smile.

AMORA  
You make it sound so easy, Gjallarholder.

SIF  
( _to the others_ )  
It's settled, then. We will repair the Bifröst - and we will go to Midgard.

LOKI  
To repair the bridge, you will need Mjölnir - and to use Mjölnir you will need Thor.  
( _with a tone of warning_ )  
He is not well, Sif. He will not want to help you.

Sif thinks on this a moment. Then:

SIF  
Jane Foster. He will fight for her - for Midgard.  
( _to Heimdall_ )  
Where is she now?

Sif turns sharply to Heimdall; at the edge of the shot, out of focus, Loki does the same.

HEIMDALL  
( _earnestly_ )  
I do not know. When last I looked into the skies, I could not see her.

As Heimdall speaks, Loki stares at him, his jaw tensed. Amora keeps her gaze fixed on the ground. Sif gives an irritated sigh.

SIF  
 _Ånd Ymir!_  There must a way.

HOGUN  
Leave that to me.

The others look at Hogun in surprise, but he says nothing more. Sif takes it in stride:

SIF  
( _to the others_ )  
Very well. The rest of you, gather arms and armor - and meet us outside, at the  _Apelsinlund_.

The group begins to disperse, as Sif, Hogun, Heimdall, Volstagg, and Fandral leave in various directions. As Loki moves to follow them, Amora catches his arm.

AMORA  
( _quietly_ )  
Stay behind a moment.

The others file out - Amora and Loki are now alone. He looks at her, puzzled.

LOKI  
What is it?

AMORA  
There is something else. Something that you need to know. Something that I saw in the skies - that Heimdall did not.  
( _beat_ )  
About the human - Jane Foster.


	9. Scene 13

**13\. INT ÄLDRTRÄD THRONE ROOM – NIGHT**

CLOSE ON Loki's face, troubled and distant. In the background there is the muffled sound of someone talking. Much louder - almost deafening - is the sound of his heartbeat - quick and panicked.

Loki takes a slow breath in, then another. As the seconds pass, the sound of the voice becomes more distinct, as if rising out of deep water:

AMORA  
( _insistent_ )  
Loki.  _Loki._

He blinks, and his eyes begin to focus on her.

AMORA  
Did you hear me? She is still alive.

LOKI  
( _urgently_ )  
How can I get there?

Amora presses her hands together beneath her chin.

AMORA  
Most of the rifts are opening on or over Midgard. But there is one that has begun to open over the northern end of the Ormsgill Ravine. You will not be able to reach it on foot -

LOKI _  
_( _quickly_ )  
But a skiff -

AMORA  
( _nods_ )  
Most were destroyed in the battle, but the Vanir did recover one.  
( _beat_ )  
I imagine that steering it through an inter-dimensional tear will be considerably more difficult than taking it across the flat Aesir plains.

LOKI  
( _with a trace of a smirk_ )  
I think I can manage.  
( _beat_ )  
Where are the Vanir keeping it?

AMORA  
Alrik's old workshop, on the far side of the  _Apelsinlund._  
( _beat_ )  
You should hurry. The others will not agree with you going - nor will they be happy that you took their only skiff.

Loki gives Amora a fleeting, grateful look, then turns on his heel. He is at the door before he stops suddenly, looks back and asks, simply:

LOKI  
Why?

Amora opens her hands slowly, as if prying apart the cover of some invisible book.

AMORA  
( _gravely_ )  
I owe her my life, and my freedom. What she did for me, I can never repay.

Then she looks down, smiling sadly.

AMORA  
I know better than most how that sort of debt can change a person.  
( _looking back up at Loki_ )  
And I have seen the way you look at her.

She shrugs slightly.

AMORA  
( _continuing_ )  
I may not have Heimdall's sight - but I'm not blind, either.

Loki stares back at Amora for a long, tense moment. Without another word, he inclines his head toward her - and he is gone.

**14\. EXT. APELSINLUND - NIGHT**

The scene opens with a wide view of the night sky - blue and black and dotted with stars. A low,  _andante_ cello theme rises from the silence.

The camera begins to move in one continuous AERIAL SHOT, sliding downward from the highest, cloud-wreathed branches of the Aldrträd, down to the treetops of a wide, verdant orange grove. The leaves and fruit gleam in the blue moonlight, and the wide branches cast a web of black shadows. The shot descends further, to the edge of a small clearing. In the center of the clearing, Sif, Hogun, Fandral, Volstagg, Heimdall, and Amora are all on horseback. Slow CIRCLE PAN around the interior edge of the circle. As we see the warriors rally to ride, the cello theme becomes a little faster.

The same shot continues, rising again, looking back down on the clearing in the orange grove. The warriors ride out of the grove in single file - west, out of the woods, toward Valhalla. QUICK, EXPRESSIVE CUTS of the warriors; their horses; their horses' hooves; their hands on the reins; their faces in the moonlight. The still-unbroken shot pursues the warriors through the forest. The cello - an eager  _allegro_ \- is joined now by two violas, weaving around one another in an eerie A minor.

180 PAN to face the warriors as they THUNDER forward out of the woods, speeding across the plains. The shot pulls away, ever higher until the warriors are only tiny black specks speeding across the plains toward the second (and last) remaining bridge over the Ormsgill Ravine.

Near the top of the frame, some distance away, a tiny gold speck hurtles westward in parallel. The camera descends toward it, and as we get close, we see LOKI on a gleaming Aesir skiff. CLOSE ON the back of the skiff - on Loki's black boots, and the dark green duster flapping around them. The cello and violas battle with one another, now an energetic - but dissonant -  _vivace_.

Finally, the shot pulls away - still tracking Loki and the skiff, but now we can see, just ahead, the VAST EXPANSE of Ormsgill Ravine. And just above the ravine, suspended in space, is a ragged dark space where nothing all can be seen. 180 PAN to face Loki as he, without hesitation, steers the skiff DIRECTLY across the abyss, and into the black space ahead of him. There is a single, brilliant flash of light - then everything disappears.


	10. Scene 14

**14\. A DARK CAVE - NIGHT**

CUT TO Darcy's face: she's asleep, lying on her back on the cave floor. Her dark hair is fanned out around her head, and she is wearing clothes that have been hastily stitched together from her black nightclub dress and some assorted rags.

There is a scratching sound off-screen, and suddenly Darcy's eyes pop open; she JOLTS awake. She exhales suddenly, and there is a puff of condensed air - it is  _very_  cold.

Darcy turns to one side; we see Jane, kneeling in front of the cave wall, eagerly scribbling on it with a bit of white rock.

DARCY  
( _groggily_ )  
Ugh. Did you even sleep?

Jane turns to look at Darcy.

JANE  
You're awake! Finally.

She brushes the white dust off her hands and scoots closer to Darcy.

JANE  
( _enthusiastically_ )  
I've been working on identifying the circumstances needed for predictable recurrence of intersections of the branes.  
( _beat_ )  
Part of it's about location, and part is about radiation - the same background radiation, presumably, that we would see with  _any_  collision of the branes. The second part's easy enough -  
( _gesturing toward her bag, on the cave floor_ )  
I still have that Geiger–Müller that hooks up to my phone -

DARCY  
You keep a Geiger counter in your purse?  
( _sighing_ )  
What am I saying? Of  _course_  you keep a Geiger counter in your purse.

Jane barrels on:

JANE  
\- so then the only thing left is to run that data up against our location. Which works because this Earth, weird as it is, is just like ours. Same constellations, same moon.  
( _beat_ )  
Anyway, I went looking through your stuff - I hope you don't mind - and I found this -

She holds up a jewel case.

JANE  
Autographed T-Swift. Nice choice.

DARCY  
What the - what did you do?

JANE  
Hear me out - it's for a good cause.  
( _as an aside_ )  
And anyway, Darce, who even owns CDs anymore? What is this, Mad Men?

DARCY  
Damnit Jane -

JANE  
( _breathlessly_ )  
Right - so, I used it to make  _this_ -

Jane holds up a CD that gleams in the dim light. It has been scrawled on with a Sharpie, and all sorts of bric-a-brac are stuck to or dangling off of it. She beams proudly.

DARCY  
For the love of God, cut to the chase.

JANE  
( _energetically_ )  
It's a sextant! Using this and the Geiger, I can locate the nearest cross-brane intersection -  _and_ I can determine where the intersection opens up on the other side.

DARCY  
In English, please.

Jane sits back on her heels and exhales.

JANE  
If we can get outside with a clear view of the night sky, I can find our way home.

Darcy's eyebrows shoot up.

DARCY  
Seriously?

JANE  
( _grinning_ )  
Seriously.

Darcy scrambles to her feet, and promptly rams her head into the low cave ceiling.

DARCY  
Augh, ow -  
( _rubbing her head with one hand_ )  
What are we waiting for, then? Let's go!

Jane shakes her head.

JANE  
We need to wait for Skuld to get back. Apparently in addition to the cave mouth, this cave also connects to a network of tunnels that open to the surface - a mile or so from here. She and I sealed the cave mouth with rocks, then she headed out through the tunnels to look around.

DARCY  
Look around? What is she expecting to find?

Jane's expression is grim.

JANE  
Apparently others have fallen through rifts to get here. I think she's looking for survivors - or, failing that, for supplies.

DARCY  
Jesus.  
( _beat_ )  
So we've got some time.

Darcy sits back down, toe to toe with Jane. She grins.

DARCY  
Well, now seems like as good a time as any for you to fill me in.  
( _nodding emphatically, gesturing_ )  
Dish.

JANE  
( _turning back to write a little more on the wall_ )  
I - er - don't know what you mean.

DARCY  
( _gesturing dramatically_ )  
You. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Interstellar tonsil hockey.

JANE  
It was  _not_  "tonsil hockey". It was -  
( _fumbling for words_ )  
I don't know. It was just -

She trails off. Darcy arches one eyebrow skeptically.

JANE  
( _continuing_ )  
He's changed, Darcy. When I was in Valhalla, he told me about the Tesseract - how it took over his mind, just like it did with Erik. Then he set me free and let me go back to Earth. He didn't have to - but he did.  
( _beat_ )  
So when the time came, and Skaði was about to kill him, I saved  _his_ life. I stabbed her in the back. 

DARCY  
Wow.

JANE  
Yeah.

DARCY   
_Wow._

JANE  
( _smiling a little_ )  
Then we went through a wormhole.

DARCY  
( _drily_ )  
You  _would_  find a wormhole romantic.

JANE  
Laugh it up. But if you had been there, you would have been impressed too.

Darcy leans back against a large boulder and drapes one arm across her forehead. She gestures with the other hand:

DARCY  
Not to be jaded about it, but - so what? Thor took you through the Bifröst.

Jane leans her head to one side.

JANE  
For Thor, the Bifröst was just a way to get from Point A to Point B. But for Loki - I think he saw how special it was. Even though I think he's a thousand years old and I'm sure he's done it a million times.  
( _with feeling_ )  
Darce, he  _slowed it down_  while we were going through it. So I could see everything. Stars and galaxies. Comets and black holes and anything else you can think of.  
( _beat_ )  
Things no human has ever seen before. Maybe ever again.

Darcy's expression is one of dawning realization.

DARCY  
 _Oh_. Oh, I see.

JANE  
Yeah.

DARCY  
And Blondie?

Jane turns back to the wall and smudges one of the formulas with her thumb.

JANE  
He tried to... get me to stay in Asgard. Even though he knew about the difference in how time passes, between here and there.  
( _with a distant look_ )  
I think his feelings for me are real. But if I had stayed there with him, I wouldn't have come back to Earth for fifty or sixty years. Maybe more. Everyone I know would have been older, or dead. Like my friends. Like Erik.

She looks mournfully at Darcy.

JANE  
( _continuing_ )  
Like you, Darce.

Darcy opens her mouth to ask Jane something, but is interrupted by a loud, rough sound - like claws against rock. She and Jane both turn to look - the sound is coming from the blocked-up cave mouth. Then, after a moment, there is an ear-piercing HOWL.

The  _draugr_ are clawing their way in.

DARCY and JANE  
( _in unison_ )  
Shit.

There is the sound of shifting rocks as SKULD appears, running at full speed out of the entrance to the tunnels.

SKULD  
( _breathlessly_ )  
Get whatever supplies you can carry. We need to leave -  _right now._


	11. Scenes 15-16

**15\. DARK TUNNELS - LATE NIGHT**

CONTRAST CUT to Jane, Darcy, and Skuld, tearing through dark subterranean tunnels at a DEAD RUN. Skuld is out ahead of the other two, holding one hand aloft to produce a small sphere of dim white light; as she runs, the light casts strange shadows in all directions. Darcy and Jane are close behind:

DARCY  
( _while running_ )  
Can't you just - beam us out -

She takes a gulp of air.

SKULD  
( _shaking her head; while running_ )  
I have to know where I'm going -

The light flickers for a moment as they run on.

SKULD  
( _continuing_ )  
Really  _know_  it, know the terrain.  
( _beat_ )  
Right now I am taking us down a  _new_  path -

Skuld gasps:

SKULD  
\- to avoid the  _draugr_ hive.

DARCY  
"Hive"?  
( _running on_ )  
That's - comforting -

The ground is uneven, and Jane and Darcy both stumble now and then. Their ragged breath echoes in the cavern - but the tunnel is otherwise silent, until -

BOOM! From somewhere in the distance behind them, there is a loud, protracted, CRACKING sound - then the knocking sounds of rocks tumbling to the ground. For an instant, all three women stop short:

SKULD  
( _gasping for breath_ )  
I think that -

She freezes as the sound of tumbling rock gives way to the resonant, repetitive sound of feet - many feet - hitting the earth.

JANE  
( _in horror_ )  
They're inside.

They're running again - even faster now, if that were possible. They tear through the tunnels at breakneck speed, weaving as the tunnel takes hairpin turns, slipping and sliding on rocks and gravel. Without warning, the cramped tunnel suddenly gives way to a WIDE CAVERN, and the ground beneath them narrows to a rough path between two steep drop-offs to either side. The three women tear across the cavern, toward the far side, where the path narrows to a sheltered tunnel once again.

CUT ACROSS the path: dozens of  _draugr_ are now pouring out into the cavern. They are close enough now that we can see that they are barely recognizable as human - little more than gray, rotting flesh clinging to bones and sinew. Their teeth are bloody, uneven stubs in their gaping mouths, and their fingertips have peeled back to reveal sharpened, claw-like bone. But most jarring of all are their eyes - bright and white, burning deep from within lidless sockets. They hurtle toward the three women, arms outstretched, hungry and vicious.

Darcy hesitates for just an instant at the far edge of the cavern, and looks back at the  _draugr:_

DARCY  
( _in a whisper_ )  
 _Jesus_.

Around them and above them, there is now a low RUSHING sound -

JANE  
Do you hear that?

SKULD  
There is a small river above -

Without hesitation, Darcy draws Jane's Colt from her pocket, aims it at the roof of the cavern, and FIRES.

Rocks shower down from the roof of the cavern, clattering off of one other and SLAMMING into the ground. Behind them, a WALL of water slams down into the cavern - a sudden, torrential waterfall that knocks the  _draugr_ 's feet out from under them. Darcy grins with satisfaction:

DARCY  
That should buy us some -

Suddenly, she SCREAMS in abject pain.

A  _draugr_ has crawled up out of the water and taken hold of Darcy; it sinks its teeth into her calf, just below the knee. Bright red blood sprays out around the wound - onto the creature, and into the water.

Jane pulls Darcy away from the creature, and then gives it one SAVAGE KICK to the head. The  _draugr_ reels backward into the water - still alive, but momentarily pulled sideways by the torrent.

JANE  
Are you o-

SKULD  
( _urgently_ )  
There is no time. Go!

The women begin running again; behind them, out of focus, we can see  _draugr_  begin to clamber up out of the water, continuing their tireless pursuit. QUICK CUTS of the three as they run - their faces, hands, feet. Behind them, the sound of the  _draugr_ horde is getting ever louder. The harrowing sound of their strange, inhuman barks reverberates through the cavern.

Skuld turns a corner; the tunnel opens up to a much smaller cavern. She suddenly stops short. Without a word, she tugs at Jane's arm, and presses some small, unseen thing into Jane's hand. Skuld then turns to face the tunnel behind them. Jane and Darcy skid to a stop too:

DARCY  
( _urgently_ )  
What are you doing?

Skuld thrusts her arms out; in an instant, a wall of white light slices through the air between her and the entrance of the cave. The wall burns and sputters, as if made of out of solid fire. Just as the wall leaps to life, the fastest of the  _draugr_  emerge from the tunnel.

The first  _draugr_ runs DIRECTLY into the wall of light, and immediately catches fire - it writhes and howls in agony as its charred body drops to the ground, mere feet from Skuld. The other  _draugr,_  seeing this,rear back. They do not flee, nor do they test the wall. Instead they stare at Skuld with a simple, frightening, animal intensity.

Skuld drops her chin to her chest. The wall dims for a moment - then she groans, and it becomes bright again:

DARCY  
We have to run!

Jane, who had been looking at the object in her palm, shoves it into her pocket, and shakes her head:

JANE  
Skuld - you don't have to do this.

With great effort, Skuld lifts her chin to look back toward Jane and Darcy. Blood is pouring freely from her mouth and nose, down her chin and neck. Her skin is deathly pale. A blood vessel in one of her eyes has burst.

SKULD  
( _sadly_ )  
Yes - I do.  
( _beat_ )  
It has to be so.

She coughs hoarsely, and the entire wall of light flickers briefly out of existence - then back in.

SKULD  
Do not waste it, Jane.  
( _coughing again_ )  
Hurry now.

Jane stares at Skuld, struck silent, unshed tears hanging beneath her eyes. Darcy grabs Jane's arm and drags her away.

DARCY  
Jane - there's no time -

Darcy flees at a full run; Jane is close behind. The tunnel is dark, but behind them the pale glow of Skuld's wall can still be seen.

Then, ahead of them, without warning, the tunnel suddenly GIVES WAY to a steep downward slope. Darcy and Jane quickly lose their footing and begin skidding down at breakneck speed. They tumble, head over feet, in the darkness.

Then, behind them, the light of Skuld's wall flickers out.

Everything is pitch black.

**16\. A CLIFF'S EDGE - EARLY MORNING**

SUDDEN CUT to a steep mountainside, where the tunnel opens out on to a shallow precipice. Darcy's body hurtles forward out of the tunnel first - then Jane's. Darcy flies forward toward the cliff's edge, while Jane catches a rocky outcropping with one hand, stopping her fall.

DARCY  
( _panicked_ )  
Jane!

Darcy is holding on to the cliff's edge with just one hand. Jane scrambles over to her, and reaches for Darcy's arm. CUT TO Darcy, hanging off the edge of the rock face. The shot pulls away to show that beneath her - somewhere between the cliff and the ground a half-mile further down - is a wide black RIFT in space. The rift stretches out for hundreds of feet in each direction.

JANE  
I've got you. I've got you, Darce -

She grabs at Darcy's arm. Suddenly, the mountainside begins to shake. The impact of the  _draugr_ tumbling down the tunnel is triggering an AVALANCHE.

JANE  
Darcy! No!

All around them, rocks begin to peel away from the bluff and hurtle down the mountainside. The rocks whiz past Darcy, down into the rift. And in that awful instant, Darcy loses her grip on the rock -

\- and Jane loses her grip on Darcy.

Darcy tumbles down into the rift, and in the instant before she vanishes, there is an awful, blood-curdling SCREAM.

Then she is gone.

Jane stares down into the rift in horror and pain -

\- but there's no time. The avalanche has slowed, but the  _draugr_ are near now, skidding and sliding down the tunnel toward the cliff's edge. Jane pushes herself backward on her hands and knees, then turns and pulls her body up the rock face, above the tunnel's entrance, and safely away from both the falling rock and the  _draugr_. She heaves herself up onto a narrow escarpment, and sucks in air as the  _draugr_ below her tumble into the rift below. There are more of them than it had seemed - not dozens, but many  _hundreds._

Jane throws her body backward onto the rock, and covers her mouth with her hands. The sky cracks with thunder, and a cold wind tears across the steep mountain face. AERIAL SHOT of Jane, lying on the escarpment, as she stifles silent, desperate sobs.


	12. Scene 17

**17\. THE RED FORT, DELHI - EARLY MORNING**

CELL PHONE CAMERA SHOT of the wide, sprawling vista of Delhi's Red Fort, aglow in the early morning light. In the foreground is a shallow rectangular pool. In the distance are red parapets soaring high above the vast fort. The shot is a little unsteady: it shifts and in and out of focus.

YOUNG WOMAN  
( _O.S_.)  
Oh, come on.  
( _beat_ )  
There we go. Okay.

The CELL PHONE CAMERA SHOT flips abruptly from rear camera to front camera, and we see a young woman's face. Behind her are a number of tables and chairs, lit by a rising sun. She reaches forward and zooms out. All around her, groups of tourists are drinking small cups of coffee and tea and chatting over pleasant, light music.

YOUNG WOMAN  
Okay.  _Haya_  mom, hi dad – it's Saturday morning _;_  I just finished my first week of classes. Things are good. Except, well, except the food.  
( _laughs_ )  
The food is  _terrible_. I mean, eating the  _chappati_  is like eating a shoe.

She looks up, a thoughtful expression on her face.

YOUNG WOMAN  
( _continuing_ )  
My roommates are nice enough; Rani used to work here, so she –

BOOM! There is a sudden, deafening sound, like a thunderclap at short range.

YOUNG WOMAN  
( _whispered_ )  
 _Arey_ -

The CELL PHONE CAMERA SHOT flips back from front to rear camera – back to the impressive vista of the Red Fort. Above the reflecting pool, a wide black RIFT has appeared, splitting the sky. There are sounds of commotion all around: metal chairs scraping against stone as they are pushed away from tables.

YOUNG WOMAN  
( _O.S_.)  
 _Hai Bhagwan_  –

The shaky CELL PHONE CAMERA SHOT zooms in on the rift. We can see now that dark, indistinct figures are tumbling out of the rift. They SLAM down into the water of the reflecting pool – one after the other. Their bodies are gray and emaciated. Their eyes burn bright in their grotesque skulls.

They are  _draugr._

By now the crowd has erupted in CHAOS. The sounds of screams echo between the stone walls of the Red Fort. And the camera, previously perched on the table, CLATTERS SUDDENLY to the ground, coming to rest at an awkward, oblique angle. The recording continues.

In the distance, dozens upon dozens of  _draugr_ are crawling out of the reflecting pool. As they pull their sinewy bodies up out of the water, they clamber to their feet and begin pursuing nearby tourists. One of the draugr leaps upon a woman carrying a sizeable camera; it seizes her shoulders and drags her down to the ground. Seeing this, the other  _draugr_ SWARM toward her, crawling over her body like ants.

Much closer, just in front of the camera, a single  _draugr_ leaps onto another tourist – this one a middle-aged man. The man gives a terrible, strangled cry as the creature sinks its teeth into his neck. He falls abruptly to the ground, clutching at the wound as blood spurts from it. The  _draugr_ hovers over him for a moment, its milky-white eyes shifting left and right, before it moves on. The man's body becomes still as he heaves his last breath.

SCENES OF CARNAGE ensue. Those tourists who were too slow to escape fall prey, one by one, to the  _draugr_  horde. Then, over the course of several moments, the many  _draugr_ disperse, deeper into the Fort and out of sight. All the while, the man's body lies, out of focus, in the foreground of the frame.

Then, out of the reflecting pool, one more figure emerges. It is a woman – drenched, bloody, dressed in tattered clothes, and holding a pistol in one hand. She approaches the camera (her face out of frame), and she kneels next to the body of the first, middle-aged man. With her free hand, she reaches into his pocket, and draws out a cell phone:

DARCY  
( _O.S_.)  
Bruce?  
( _beat_ )  
Hey.  
( _beat)  
_ I – ah – I could use a ride.  
( _beat_ )  
No.  
( _beat_ )  
Uh-huh.  
( _long pause_ )  
Sure.

There is a faint chirp as the call ends. Darcy (still out of frame) drops the phone to the ground, and shuffles away, dragging her wounded leg behind her. And in the foreground, the shot resolves on the middle-aged man –

\- as his eyes – now milky white – SUDDENLY OPEN.


	13. Scenes 18-19

**18\. A BOULEVARD IN VALHALLA – EVENING**  
  
WIDE SHOT of the walls surrounding Valhalla, and the two great, gold gates at their center. A SLOW TRACKING SHOT moves through the open gates and down the main boulevard of the once-great city. The shot comes to a stop just short of Odin’s palace. In the dying light, the shattered buildings and cracked walls still seem almost whole.

On one side of the street, Volstagg, Fandral, Amora, and Heimdall are making camp. On the other side, Sif and Hogun are standing, deep in conversation, apart from the others. Sif is holding a spiked silver mace in both hands.

SIF  
You do not have to do this.

As they talk, he starts to buckle on the front and back of his black and silver cuirass:

HOGUN  
Don’t I? You saw how he treated Fandral and Volstagg.  
( _fastening buckles_ )  
How he lashed out at you.

Sif shakes her head.

SIF  
It was an inopportune moment.  
( _beat_ )  
Give it one day. I will talk to him tomorrow. I can talk – or beat – some sense into him.

Hogun reaches behind his back to buckle the last buckle, but winces as he does. Sif hands him back his mace and gestures for him to turn around. He does.

HOGUN  
( _over one shoulder_ )  
I think you know that will not work.  
( _beat_ )  
You see now that he is simply too far gone.  
  
Sif pulls Hogun’s cloak to one side and buckles the last buckle, at the nape of his neck. She takes a breath:

SIF  
I do not disagree.  
( _beat_ )  
But it is a terrible gamble. If you’re wrong, he could kill you, even by accident.  
  
She smiles wryly, and puts both hands on his shoulders as she whispers into his ear:  
  
SIF  
We are in Asgard.  
( _beat_ )  
I am _queen_ of Asgard.  
( _beat_ )  
And I _command_ you not to go.  
  
He turns around, a barely discernible smile on his face.

HOGUN  
The others don’t object.  
  
SIF  
( _rolling her eyes_ )  
The others do not know how truly _idiotic_ your plan is. And no matter how far he has fallen, if he can still -

HOGUN  
( _shaking his head_ )  
He cannot. I am sure he cannot. He will not kill me.  
  
Sif gives Hogun a skeptical look, arching one eyebrow.

HOGUN  
He will not kill me _on purpose_.

Sif narrows her gaze.

SIF  
_I_ should go. I can handle myself just as well as you.  
  
HOGUN  
Not ‘just as well’.  
( _beat_ )  
You are the greatest warrior I have ever known. I am sure that you could do what must be done.  
( _beat_ )  
But I doubt he will take the bait from his own queen, angry though he may be. And in any case, if I _am_ wrong, your life is a thousand times more valuable than mine.

Sif opens her mouth to object, but Hogun presses a kiss to her lips:

HOGUN  
I love you.  
  
Without another word, Hogun turns on his heel and walks up the wide steps into Odin’s palace.

 **19\. VALHALLA THRONE ROOM – MIDNIGHT**  
  
The room is completely BLACK, except for one round pool of moonlight in the center of the room. The throne, the shattered columns, and the broken statues are all out of sight – obscured by the darkness of night.  At the edge of the lit circle is Thor’s hammer, _Mjölnir_.  
  
Hogun steps into the light, and drops his mace at his side with a THUNK. He lifts his chin a little.  
  
HOGUN  
_I namn av andarna._  
( _beat_ )  
_I namn av de nio världarna._ _  
_ ( _beat_ )  
_I namn av Yggdrasil._  
( _beat_ )  
_Jag utmanar dig._ _  
  
_ There is a long pause –  
  
– then, a single, hoarse bark from deep in the shadows.  
  
THOR  
( _O.S_., _sarcastically_ )  
If you are going to challenge me, shield-brother, at least have the decency to do it in Aesir.  
  
Hogun's expression does not change.  
  
HOGUN  
_Jeg utfordrer deg_ , then.  
  
Thor laughs again – humorless and hollow.   
  
THOR  
( _O.S., dully_ )  
My kingdom is in ruins. What of it that is left belongs to Sif. And to you, soon enough.  
( _beat_ )  
I cannot imagine what more you expect to win.   
  
HOGUN  
( _coolly_ )  
I expect you put aside your grudges and stand by your people. To walk out of this throne room and help us to repair the _Bifröst_ and save the Nine Realms.  
( _beat_ )  
I expect you to behave like a prince – and not a spoiled, self-pitying child.   
  
THOR  
( _O.S., much more angry_ )  
_Fuck_ you. And fuck the others. I have sacrificed _everything_ for the Realms. I have given my life and my strength and everyone who meant anything to me. And I have received _nothing_ in return. _  
(_ _beat_ _)  
_ I am done with all of you. _  
(_ _beat_ _)  
__Get the hell out._    
  
CLOSE ON Hogun as he takes one step forward in the light.  
  
HOGUN  
Fight me, you miserable coward.  
( _beat_ )  
Fight me, and perhaps –   
  
Hogun steps forward again, until the toe of his boot is resting against Mjölnir. His jaw tenses. He takes a deep breath in through his nose. And in one motion –  
  
\- he LIFTS the hammer.   
  
For one fleeting instant, Hogun himself looks surprised. But then:  
  
HOGUN  
( _continuing_ )  
\- _perhaps_ I will give this back to you.   
  
Without warning, THOR ROARS and LEAPS from the shadows at Hogun, his great arms outstretched to tackle him. Hogun drops the hammer to the ground with a resounding THUD, and rolls away from Thor, out of the light.  We see Thor now, illuminated by moonlight. He looks even more haggard, dirty, and unkempt. His eyes are red and bloodshot, and burn bright above dark, sleepless circles. His clothes are filthy, his hair is greasy and lank, and his armor is nowhere to be seen.  
  
Now, Thor reaches for the hammer, and grasps the handle.    
  
THOR  
You will regret ever -   
  
He pulls upward on the hammer, but his hand slides free.   
  
The hammer doesn’t budge.   
  
Thor’s face shifts to an expression of SHEER RAGE. He gives an anguished, almost animal SCREAM, and begins to turn.  
  
Hogun LEAPS from the darkness on to Thor’s back, shoving Thor to the ground; the two men go skidding across the lit circle, back into the darkness. Hogun then appears again, scrambling to his feet across the lit circle. Thor lunges back at him, raising one clenched fists up to hammer down on Hogun’s chest.  But Hogun CATCHES Thor’s arm before he can strike, and works his elbow up between Thor’s head and arm; he then, with a great grunt, HEAVES Thor’s body up over his shoulder and SLAMS Thor down to the ground.  
  
Thor lashes his other arm out and grabs Hogun by the leg; Hogun hits the ground with a resounding THUD. Thor comes to his knees and savagely PUNCHES HOGUN in the face – once, twice, then three times, sending a spray of blood in all directions. Hogun groans audibly, but rolls to one side before Thor can strike again.    
  
Pressing his hands to the ground, Hogun leaps to his feet, and – without hesitation, KICKS Thor in the face – first downward, then back up again. Thor’s head snaps up and then down, and stringy gobs of blood bubble up out of his mouth. He sweeps his right leg in a wide arc and KNOCKS Hogun’s feet out from underneath him, bringing Hogun back down to the ground.  
  
Thor scrambles toward Hogun, but Hogun throws himself up and OVER Thor, and grabs Thor from behind in a locked chokehold. Hogun begins dragging Thor sideways, until both he and Thor are out of the light. For what seems like an eternity, there are the muffled sounds of fists meeting flesh - then, the sickening CRACK of a head hitting the floor.    
  
From the darkness, Thor’s supine body slides up, back into the pool of moonlight. A sinister red smear of blood follows in his wake. The hammer is mere inches from his head – still where it was when Hogun dropped it. Hogun is still in shadow.   
  
Thor stares upward into the moonlight, lying motionless for several moments. His breathing is ragged and irregular, but it begins to slow.    
  
THOR  
I can kill you.  
( _beat_ )  
Even now.  
( _beat_ )  
Hammer or no hammer.   
  
Hogun steps into the light. He stands over Thor, looking down - a black silhouette against the moonlight.   
  
HOGUN  
( _quietly_ )  
I know you can.  
( _beat_ )  
But you won’t.   
  
Thor coughs, and as he does, his own face is spattered with blood.    
  
HOGUN  
Will you help us?   
  
CLOSE ON Thor as he presses his eyes closed.   
  
THOR  
( _wearily_ )  
I will.   
  
He opens his eyes again. When the shot pulls back out, Hogun is no longer in the light.   
  
THOR  
But where do I begin?   
  
There is the diminishing sound of footsteps in darkness, as Hogun walks away.   
  
HOGUN  
( _O.S._ )  
You try the hammer again.

 


	14. Scenes 20-23

**20\. THE GANGES RIVER ON DRAUGR EARTH - EARLY MORNING**

The scene opens on a FAST-MOVING AERIAL SHOT of a wide river, winding its way across a vast landscape of low hills and trees. In some places the edges of the river are sandy and white; in others, they give way to the crumbling ruins of small towns and villages. And everywhere, roving, feral  _draugr_ run together, moving along the river in menacing packs. At this height, they are little more than black clouds, expanding and contracting as they hunt for still-living prey.

At the leading edge of the shot is a BRIGHT GOLD SPECK, speeding forward, outpacing the  _draugr._ The camera pushes in to reveal that the speck is LOKI on the Aesir skiff, flying low and fast along the river's edge.

The shot follows the skiff as it suddenly VEERS due south - away from the river, along the broken remains of a once-busy road.

CLOSE ON Loki, his expression intent. At the front of the skiff, above the steering array, is a small half-dome made of smoked glass. Inside the dome, a single point of green light burns bright enough to be seen.

The light presses against the leading edge of the dome; Loki touches one hand to the dome and the light seems to glow a little brighter. Around him the scenery has changed; he looks up just in time to see as -

**21\. EXT. RUINS OF THE TAJ MAHAL - EARLY MORNING**

\- the vista gives way to an EPIC PALACE, its cracked onion dome rising high above a long, empty pool overgrown with weeds and vines. Three of the four slender towers on either side of the palace have broken and begun to crumble. Loki brings the skiff to a sudden stop. He disembarks, and walks up the steps.

LOKI  
( _calling out_ )  
Jane Foster!

His call ECHOES in the empty space between the four towers. Somewhere, in the far distance, there is a strange, baying sound in response - like an animal's howl.

Just out of view, out of focus, a dark shape darts between two of the four towers. Loki quickly turns to look - but sees nothing. Warily, he draws one of the two curved blades from its place at his belt. He walks forward, into the palace.

**22\. INT. INTERIOR ROOM IN THE TAJ MAHAL - EARLY MORNING**

CUT TO a wide, octagonal room with low, arched ceilings. Immediately ahead is a stairway that leads down into darkness. Loki walks to the edge of the staircase and looks down.

We see HEAPS of  _draugr_ bodies littering the staircase, their arms and legs jutting out every which way. They may have been human once, but that was some time ago; aside from scraps of torn clothing here and there, they are - or were - completely feral. Their heads and faces are crushed and cracked, as if with some heavy object.

Loki crouches at the top of the stairs, and reaches toward the nearest  _draugr_  body with his free hand. He takes its tattered sleeve in one hand and rolls the fabric between finger and thumb as he studies the creature's grotesque, lifeless face.

LOKI  
( _quietly_ )  
_Mikill Frigg._

Loki rises and continues walking. Beyond the staircase the room suddenly OPENS up. The ceilings are suddenly some hundred feet high, and the walls ascend to second and third-story balconies. And in the center of the room, draped in tarps and cloth, is a small, octagonal enclave - like a tent - with only one door.

LOKI  
( _whispering_ )  
Jane?

There is no response.

Warily, Loki steps forward, through the doorway into the enclave.

**23\. INT. THE CENOTAPH OF MUMTAZ - EARLY MORNING**

THUD! The instant he enters the enclave, Loki is SLAMMED against its exterior wall with force.

The shot is dark until, after a moment, it resolves. Loki is held against the wall with one arm, while the other arm holds a gray metal blade up to his throat. And the person doing the holding -

\- is JANE.

As soon as she sees his face, Jane releases him and steps backward, holding both hands up. She is dirty, covered in bruises, blood, and scrapes. Her dark hair is pulled back in a tangled bun, beneath a gigantic pair of motorcycle goggles that sit atop her head. Her arms and torso are covered in makeshift leather armor that appears to be held on with duct tape.

She sputters in surprise:

JANE  
...Loki?


	15. Scenes 24-25

**24\. INT. THE CENOTAPH OF MUMTAZ - EARLY MORNING**

Jane stares at Loki in disbelief for a long moment - then gives a sudden, hoarse laugh.

JANE  
This -

Jane shakes her head. Her eyes are red and raw, and as the light adjusts, a smattering of bruises can be seen across her collarbone and shoulders.

JANE  
( _continuing_ )  
\- this isn't real. I've been on my own too long, and I've -

She stops short, her expression haunted.

LOKI  
( _firmly_ )  
You are  _not_  hallucinating. I came here through th-

Jane doesn't let him finish; instead, she steps forward, closing the distance between them. She presses two fingertips to the thin line on Loki's throat where her blade had been, only moments before. It's a strange gesture - intimate, somehow.

She draws her hand back, and rubs the black jotunn blood between her thumb and forefinger.

JANE  
( _quietly_ )  
Well, damn.

She looks back up at Loki, and her expression has completely changed. She steps away from him.

JANE  
( _in disbelief_ )  
How did you even know I was here?

Loki takes a deep breath through his nose.

LOKI  
Heimdall saw you. Or - Amora saw you. And -  
( _gesturing_ )  
\- you had my icon.

He nods toward her neck; around her throat is a green stone disc, hanging on a thin leather cord. On the stone is an image of two snakes, intertwined with one another.

Jane looks down at it:

JANE  
This? Skuld gave me this before -

She hesitates. He nods:

LOKI  
( _with evident pride_ )  
It is mine. I can find it anywhere.  
( _beat_ )  
Skuld stole it from me, when I was young.  
( _beat_ )  
When she was young.

He looks around the cenotaph for the first time, taking in the piles of supplies and scattered gas-cans, the dim flashlights pointed up at the tarped roof, and the dingy bedroll shoved up against the side of the tomb.

Jane crosses to the doorway through which Loki had entered. She pulls one of the hanging tarps across the open doorway, and starts to fasten it to another tarp with a bit of rope.

LOKI  
( _continuing_ )  
She's not here.

Jane fixes her attention on the rope.

JANE  
( _slowly_ )  
No. She -  
( _hesitating_ )  
She died saving me.

She takes a deep breath.

JANE  
( _continuing_ )  
And Darcy. Saving Darcy.  
( _more firmly_ )  
I  _have_  to believe that.

Jane looks over her shoulder at Loki, puzzled.

JANE  
( _continuing_ )  
She must have known that you could find me with it.

Loki gives a quick nod, his eyes momentarily distant. He looks back at Jane:

LOKI  
So we go back through the same rift you came through. It cannot be far.

JANE  
I wish we could - but that rift closed again the next day. It was unstable.

LOKI  
Unstable?

JANE  
Most of them are. They appear, decay, and close - at random, or so it seems. And I've seen people - things - that came through a decaying or closing rift.  
( _beat_ _)_  
They don't always come through in one piece.

Jane crosses to her bedroll, and digs around in it. Loki watches her:

LOKI  
But they are not all unstable.

JANE  
( _nodding_ )  
Right. There are a few big ones - anchors - that are stable. That are in no danger of closing. 

Jane produces a folded map from her backpack; she starts unfolding it on the floor at their feet.

JANE  
Which one did you go through? Which rift, I mean.

LOKI  
It was perhaps a thousand  _vika_ south of here - out over open water.

JANE  
How far is a _vika_?

He thinks for a moment.

LOKI  
A mile. Approximately.

Jane nods, and traces the map with her fingers to a large red circle with a question mark next to it. She gives a grim smile.

JANE  
I hoped there might be an anchor somewhere around there. Interesting.

Loki drops to one knee to get a closer look at the map.

LOKI  
Then we go back to that one.

JANE  
With the skiff?  
( _beat_ )  
I suppose we  _could_. But if we come out over open water on the other side - and I have every reason to think we would - we could land in the middle of a tsunami, and get torn to pieces. With no hope of rescue.

She shakes her head.

JANE  
( _continuing_ )  
No good.

Loki looks down at the map again; we can see all sorts of arcane markings scrawled in red marker across its surface.

LOKI  
Where were you going when I arrived?

JANE  
This one.

She taps the map. Beneath her finger is a small red "X".

JANE  
( _continuing_ )  
The closest stable rift I could identify.  
( _shrugging_ )  
The closest one over land, anyway.

He frowns.

LOKI  
If this map is proportional, that is - thousands of  _vika_ away.

JANE  
Two thousand five hundred miles - as the crow flies.

Jane leans back against the sarcophagus behind her. She interlaces her fingers behind her head; her eyes close for a moment.

JANE  
But seeing as I'm not a crow, and you can't turn us  _into_ crows -

Her eyes pop open again, and she looks at Loki with sudden interest:

JANE  
\- unless you  _can._ Can you?

LOKI  
Regrettably, no.  
( _beat_ )  
Not...structurally.

She squints briefly at Loki with interest - then closes her eyes again.

JANE  
( _continuing_ )  
Alright. Then double that mileage by road, over land.  
( _beat_ )  
With the jeep I have, and the roads as bad as they are - maybe 200 miles a day, on average, factoring in time for repairs and resupply. At least three weeks on the road.

LOKI  
But the skiff -

Jane grins.

JANE  
( _nodding_ )  
But the skiff.

Loki stands up, and glances at the map again.

LOKI  
You have been navigating with only this map?

JANE  
Not just the map. I also have this -

She rummages in the backpack by her side, and pulls out the cobbled-together bundle of a Geiger counter, a sextant, and a cell phone. They're connected to one another (except the sextant) by a tangled knot of USB cords. She stands up.

JANE  
( _continuing_ )  
Great for finding rifts and avoiding fields of excess radiation.  
( _beat_ )  
But the phone's nearly dead. Batteries and generators are hard to come by.

Jane holds the contraption out to Loki, and he takes it, turning it over in his hands before speaking again:

LOKI  
The skiff draws fuel from sunlight. It could provide enough power.

JANE  
Somehow I'm guessing it doesn't have a standard hundred-and-twenty volt outlet.

LOKI  
( _seriously_ )  
Yours is one of the greatest minds I have ever known -  
( _with a shrug_ )  
\- besides mine.

He holds the device out to her.

LOKI  
( _continuing_ )  
You will find a way.

With a faint smile, Jane takes the device.

JANE  
Yeah - alright.

Jane tucks the device into her backpack, slings the backpack over her shoulder, and comes to her feet. She then picks up the tool belt at her feet and fastens it on. She gestures toward the tarp-draped doorway to the cenotaph.

JANE  
Lead the way.

They walk out of the cenotaph, through the octagonal chamber, back toward the front steps of the Taj Mahal. It's mid-morning now, and blinding white sunlight is pouring through the entrance-way.

As the reach the threshold, Loki suddenly PULLS Jane to one side. She hits the wall with a soft thud; Loki puts his body between her and the open doorway.

JANE  
What's the b-

Loki presses two fingers to her lips, and they linger there for JUST a little longer than is strictly necessary. Loki and Jane lock eyes, and it is a LONG moment before he takes his fingers from her lips, one at a time.

At length, he nods toward the doorway.

LOKI  
There is -

He clears his throat.

LOKI  
There is a  _draugr_ horde outside.

JANE  
( _drily_ )  
You say that to all the girls.

He inclines his head toward the doorway; she leans out to take a quick look.

CUT TO the view from the Taj Mahal. The skiff is on the steps in the foreground; in the distance is a vast reflecting pool, lined by trees on either side. The walkways around the pool, the lawn, and the pool itself -

\- are CRAWLING with HUNDREDS of feral, prowling  _draugr_. They're moving slowly - sniffing the air now and then. But they are unmistakably moving TOWARD the palace - toward Loki and Jane.

JANE  
( _whispering_ )  
Oh,  _great._

LOKI  
( _whispering_ )  
If I tell you how to access the power array, how quickly can you connect your device to the skiff?

JANE  
( _whispering_ )  
I won't know until I see it. But I'll work as fast as I can.

LOKI  
( _whispering_ )  
Stay close.

**25\. EXT. RUINS OF THE TAJ MAHAL - DAY**

CUT TO THE front steps of the Taj Mahal. Loki exits the building first, his hands out, palms-forward, in front of him. He steps sideways around the skiff, facing out toward the  _draugr_ horde the entire time. Behind him, Jane races over to the skiff, which is shored up on the steps at an angle.

LOKI  
( _whispering over one shoulder_ )  
The power array is inside a green dome on the underside. You will need to break the dome.

Jane lowers herself to the ground and flattens herself beneath the exposed underbelly of the skiff, partially out of sight.

JANE  
( _whispering_ )  
Got it.

CUT TO Jane, partially in shadow beneath the skiff. She tugs the grease-smeared motorcycle goggles down over her eyes, and PULLS her body forward under the skiff, until she is face-to-face with a small green glass globe hanging down from the skiff's gold metal chassis. Without hesitation, she STRIKES the dome with the cuff on her wrist; it shatters around her face in a rain of tiny green glass shards.

JANE  
( _whispering_ )  
Alright. Buy me a few minutes.

CUT TO Loki, his arms outstretched.

LOKI  
( _whispering_ )  
You have five.

TRACKING SHOT moving laterally away from Loki - at some point a few feet from him, the shot is BLURRED for a moment. After that, the shot turns back toward Loki and the skiff - but they aren't there. Loki has created an illusion to temporarily obscure him, Jane, and the skiff from the view of the  _draugr._ The  _draugr_  themselves are some hundred meters away - still wandering and sniffing the air - but slowly, haltingly CLOSING IN.

CUT BACK to Jane, drawing tools and a grubby yellow voltmeter from her belt and assiduously picking away at the skiff's power array. While she works, she talks:

JANE  
( _whispering_ )  
So are we going to talk about that kiss?

LOKI  
( _whispering, incredulously_ )  
Now?

JANE  
( _whispering_ )  
It's as good a time as any.

CUT TO Loki, still maintaining the bubble of illusion, staring out at the encroaching  _draugr_ horde. In the distance,  _draugr_  are crawling up out of the reflecting pool, their grotesque bodies dripping with water, their haunting eyes burning bright in their skulls.

LOKI  
( _whispering_ )  
That is clearly not true.

Beneath the dome, Jane digs into the innards of the power array with the fingers of one hand, and produces a free wire from her device with the other.

JANE  
( _whispering_ )  
It was a - complicated moment.  
( _beat_ )  
What Thor said about you and your brother -

Jane pauses her work and pulls a roll of duct tape from her tool belt. She rips two pieces free, and sticks them to her upper arm.

JANE  
( _whispering, continuing_ )  
\- I've given it a lot of thought since then. I've thought a lot about what it means to kill someone. I talked to Skuld about it - about you. About Baldr. What kind of man he was.

As Jane speaks, CUT TO Loki; a faint trail of black blood is appearing beneath his nose. He touches one hand to it, and looks down, a grave expression on his face. Around him, the bubble of illusion FLICKERS - and in an INSTANT, the many  _draugr_ nearby TURN AT ONCE, toward him.  
  
CUT BACK to Jane, still working:

JANE  
( _whispering)_  
I've thought about the circumstances that might drive a person to kill another person.  
( _beat_ )  
Whether it could ever be justified.  
( _beat_ )  
Whether something like that changes you.  
( _beat_ )  
And if it does - whether you can ever be redeemed.

Jane reaches around to the top of the skiff, and puts the phone down on the skiff's deck. With an emphatic slap, she duct-tapes the phone and its accompanying cords to the skiff. She then wipes her forehead with the back of one hand, leaving a black streak above her left eyebrow.

JANE  
( _whispering)_  
You still there?

CUT TO Loki, STRUGGLING to maintain the illusion. Mere inches from him, a hulking  _draugr_ sniffs at the air - HUNTING him. Loki takes a breath:

LOKI  
( _whispering)_  
I am sorry for what I did, Jane Foster. To you -  
( _beat_ )  
\- and to your people.

His expression is tense and mournful:

LOKI  
( _whispering_ )  
I am sorry that I kissed you.

CUT TO Jane, still beneath the skiff. She connects one final wire, and the screen of her phone flickers to life. She shoves the goggles back up onto her forehead, drops both hands back, and sighs:

JANE  
_(whispering)_  
I'm not.

From outside, there is the sudden and jarring sound of a massive EXPLOSION.

JANE  
Loki?

Jane SHOVES herself out from beneath the skiff, just in time to see that Loki's illusion has BROKEN, and that he is fighting off DOZENS of  _draugr_ with bursts of green fire. The  _draugr_ are hurtling toward them and toward the skiff - hundreds of them, shoving one another out of the way to get closer to their prey. Loki grabs the nearest  _draugr_ and THROWS it to the side - it had been mere inches from sinking its teeth into his arm. In one movement, he LEAPS onto the skiff.

LOKI  
Hold on!

Loki seizes the steering array with both hands; Jane, in turn, seizes one of Loki's legs. The skiff roars to life and begins to rise up - as it does,  _draugr_ leap toward it, their clawlike hands grasping for the thin edges of the skiff's deck. Some of them tumble free and fall to the marble steps - but three others are able to get a grip on the skiff, and they start climbing up behind Loki and Jane.

The skiff begins to move - faster now. Jane, still holding on to Loki's ankle, gives one of the  _draugr_ a savage KICK, sending its withered body flying over the side - then another. The third  _draugr_ takes advantage of her distraction and JUMPS onto her torso. With her free hand, she draws a pistol from her tool belt, jams it up under the  _draugr'_ s jaw, and SHOOTS UPWARD into the creature's skull. With a grisly splash of long-dead brain matter, the third  _draugr_ FLIES BACKWARDoff the skiff.

AERIAL SHOT of the skiff as it begins to gain altitude and distance. Beneath and behind it, the  _draugr_  - little more than black smudges now - fan out, blotting out the white marble terraces of the ancient palace like an insidious black cloud.


	16. Scene26

**26\. INT. A BRIGHTLY-LIT HALLWAY - EVENING**

CLOSE SHOT from above of the unconscious face of DARCY LEWIS. A white sheet is pulled up to her collarbone, exposing a neck and shoulders that are deathly pale. Her eyes are half-closed, and her dark hair is splayed out behind her head like a sunburst. At the edges of the shot we can see that she is on a hospital gurney, rolling down a long hallway. A woman's hand rests on Darcy's left shoulder.

MARIA  
( _O.S_.)  
How long since she was bitten?

MELINDA  
( _O.S_.)  
We don't know for sure. Simmons is putting it at about eight hours out.

Darcy's eyelids flutter open briefly; her unfocused eyes scan left and right, then they close again.

MARIA  
( _O.S._ )  
That tourniquet -

MELINDA  
( _O.S._ )  
She did it herself. And a good thing, too.  
( _beat_ )  
Though we're pretty sure she'll still lose that leg.

Darcy gives a low, strangled moan.

MELINDA  
( _O.S._ )  
It's...touch-and-go at this point.

The shot PANS UP from Darcy's face to her feet. We see now a grim, gray hallway with institutional steel lights hanging from the ceiling every four or five feet. Standing on either side of Darcy's gurney are MELINDA MAY and MARIA HILL.

The gurney rolls to a stop at an open doorway. Maria looks down at Darcy's unconscious body.

MARIA  
Where are we at on the team?

MELINDA  
They'll assemble here.

Melinda glances down at her watch.

MELINDA  
( _continuing_ )  
Rogers is the furthest out - several hours, still. Stark is  _en route_. Romanoff just arrived. No response from Barton or Thor.

Maria arches one eyebrow with interest.

MARIA  
And Bruce?

MELINDA  
He's on his way.  
( _beat_ )  
But he doesn't know about her.  
( _beat)  
_ If you want, I can -

Maria shakes her head.

MARIA  
No. You're all I've got. I need you running the show here and getting us ready to roll. I'll handle Bruce.

Maria starts walking further down the hall, at a brisk clip. Over one shoulder:

MARIA  
Send Lance to go pick up Erik Selvig. We need to know what we're dealing with. And tell Jemma - we're going to need to start working on a cure.


	17. Scenes 27-28

**27\. INT. A TENT - EARLY MORNING**

CUT TO the inside of a tent, red and aglow in the early morning light. In the foreground, little more than a supine silhouette, is SIF.

After a moment, Sif suddenly SITS UP, gasping a quick breath. She turns to one side; the light resolves on HOGUN's sleeping face. A dark, ugly bruise covers much of his left cheek, cheekbone, and brow.

Sif lets out a barely audible sigh. Again in silhouette, she presses a kiss to Hogun's forehead, just above the bruise. He stirs - but he doesn't wake up. Sif carefully knots her long hair behind her head, presses her palms to the earth, pushes herself silently up, and leaves the tent.

**28\. EXT - CLIFFS NEAR THE BIFROST - EARLY MORNING**

Outside, the cliffs are rocky and windswept and bare. The Bifrost bridge, mere meters away, is splendid and dazzling. Not far from the tent, FANDRAL and VOLSTAGG are tending a dying fire and talking in hushed tones. They look up as Sif approaches.

Both the men start to stand - but Sif waves them off of it.

Volstagg nods respectfully toward her.

VOLSTAGG  
All-Mother.

Fandral grins deviously at Sif as she walks toward them.

FANDRAL  
How is our wounded warrior?

He cranes his head to turn as Sif passes behind him.

FANDRAL  
( _continuing_ )  
Did you let him get  _any_ sleep?  
( _beat_ )  
Or were you two up all night sparr-

BAM! As Sif passes behind Fandral, she WHACKS him solidly on the back of the head. He makes an anguished noise, but she ignores him:

SIF  
Where are the others?

VOLSTAGG  
Amora went back into Valhalla. Hours ago.  
( _beat_ )  
I think she is searching for something.

He gives Sif a significant look. Sif thinks on this a moment:

SIF  
And my brother?

Fandral nods toward the Bifrost bridge and the cracked - but still splendid - dome beyond. Sif looks in the same direction.

FANDRAL  
In there, with Thor. They have been working on repairs all night.

As if on cue, there are two loud, concussive BOOMs from within the dome. Sif arches one eyebrow:

SIF  
They have not slept?

Fandral shakes his head. Sif sighs.

SIF  
Very well.

She nods again to the two men, then turns and begins to walk away, down the Bifrost bridge, toward the dome. Fandral leans away from the fire and calls after her:

FANDRAL  
Should we wake the Grim for food?  
( _beat_ )  
I wager he is hungry!  
( _louder_ )  
Should we really still be calling him "Grim"?  
( _louder_ )  
Sif?

Without turning - still walking away - Sif raises her right hand -

\- and flips Fandral the BIRD.

Fandral is dumbstruck. He turns to Volstagg.

FANDRAL  
Well, what does  _that_ mean?

Volstagg, still jabbing at the fire with a stick, merely shrugs.


	18. Scene 29

**29\. INT. THE BIFROST DOME - EARLY MORNING**

CUT TO the interior of the dome. It is still gold and gleaming, but a jagged crack has split the ceiling, and daylight is trickling through. At the entrance to the dome, HEIMDALL leans against the wall, arms crossed, facing inward toward the center. His broadsword rests against the wall beside him.

SIF  
( _entering_ )  
Brother.

He turns, and gives Sif a weary smile.

HEIMDALL  
Finally awake.  
( _beat_ )  
I was beginning to wonder whether you planned to live out your days in that tent.

Heimdall smirks.

HEIMDALL  
( _continuing_ )  
A rather... _grim_ prospect.

Sif groans.

SIF  
Not you, too.

Heimdall only smiles more broadly.

SIF  
The  _bråkmakere_ said you were working all night.

Heimdall nods toward the center of the room.

HEIMDALL  
 _He_  certainly was.

CUT TO the center of the room. Thor is there, drenched in sweat, up to his elbows in the innards of the Bifrost engine. The hammer Mjolnir is beside him. Sif and Heimdall watch him for a moment; he doesn't look up.

HEIMDALL  
( _still watching_ )  
My part in it is done, for the moment. At least until it is time to turn the thing on.

Sif nods; after a moment she gives Heimdall a sidelong glance.

SIF  
( _slowly_ )  
Amora went back into the city this morning.  
( _beat_ )  
Looking for something.

Heimdall's shoulders tense up, almost imperceptibly. He takes a deep breath:

HEIMDALL  
Whatever she is looking for, she can find it herself.

SIF  
She was part of our family once.  
( _beat_ )  
At least talk to her.

Heimdall stares at Sif for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then he turns - and leaves.

Sif watches him go, then turns back to Thor:

SIF  
( _to Thor_ )  
Thank you.

Thor - clearly having heard the whole exchange - draws his bruised arms out of the engine and wipes his forehead with the back of one hand. As he turns to face Sif, we can see a blue-black bruise across the bridge of his nose and across the orbit of his right eye.

THOR  
Do not thank me -  
( _smiling_ )  
-  _All-Mother_.  
( _beat_ )  
This was always my duty. Hogun only reminded me of it.

Sif nods graciously, but says nothing.

THOR  
( _continuing_ )  
I am sure that I do not need to tell you - but he is a good man.  
( _beat)  
_ A worthy man.

Sif smiles, and glances down:

SIF  
You are right -

She looks up again, her eyes meeting Thor's.

SIF  
( _continuing_ )  
\- you did not need to tell me that.

She nods toward the engine.

SIF  
So, will it work?

THOR  
( _staring at the engine_ )  
I do not know. It has not worked yet. I have only one more tactic to try.

He rolls his shoulders and takes a deep breath.

THOR  
( _continuing_ )  
You may want to stand back.

Sif takes two long steps backward, through the open doorway. Thor takes hold of the hammer Mjolnir, and raises it into the air.

There is a dull BOOM in the distance - then the sound of rolling thunder, much closer. The dome comes ALIVE with the sound of raindrops pattering against the metal roof: slow at first, then louder and louder, to a deafening rush.

CUT TO Sif, in stark contrast to the gray sky behind her. Loose tendrils of hair rise off the back of her neck, as if weightless - and then -

BAM!

Without warning, the dome is suddenly FLOODED with blinding white light. Living, trembling tendrils of electrical energy SHOOT OUT from the top of the dome and race restlessly across its surface - and in the very center of the room, a violent arc of lightning SURGES straight down into the engine.

THOR  
( _to Sif, shouting over the storm_ )  
The sword!

Sif quickly crosses to Heimdall's sword, easily lifts it, and dashes across to the engine. She drives the sword in, and there is a loud metallic THUNK - THUNK - THUNK -

Thor and Sif exchange a glance -

\- and then the thousands of gears, wheels, and pulleys that make up the innards of the Bifrost GRIND to life.

The wind whips SHEETS of rain in through the open doorway, soaking both of them - but neither one notices. Sif beams brightly:

SIF  
( _still shouting, over the rain_ )  
I'll go tell the others.


	19. Scene 30

**30\. EXT. CLIFFS NEAR THE BIFROST - LATE MORNING**

A MONTAGE of QUICK, SOUNDLESS CUTS - of Fandral, Volstagg, Amora, Heimdall, Sif, and Hogun, as they prepare to go through the Bifrost to Earth. In one shot, Hogun helps Sif into her armor, and presses a kiss to the back of her neck before fastening the last piece of her armor in place. In another shot, Fandral and Volstagg shove supplies into burlap sacks, and Fandral looks on in amusement as Volstagg packs in pounds and pounds of meat and bread. In another shot, Thor returns to the throne room of Valhalla one last time, to bid goodbye to the broken throne of  _Hlidskjalf_.

And in the last shot, Heimdall and Amora are standing together in Frigga's Valhallan orchard - now mostly ruins. Amora is doing all the talking - Heimdall says nothing. After waiting - apparently for Heimdall to respond - Amora musters a smile; she takes Heimdall's hand, palm-up, and presses a small, unseen object into it. She then folds his fingers over the object, touches his arm lightly, and walks away, past him. Heimdall stares down at his hand with a haunted expression.

The montage ends.

CUT TO the Bifrost, now blinding in the midday light. The seven warriors stand together on the cliff, just short of the bridge.

HOGUN  
Is everything ready?

THOR  
( _nodding_ )  
The engine works -

HEIMDALL  
\- and the bridge aims for Midgard. The only thing left is to cross through it.

VOLSTAGG  
So we go.

Sif and Hogun exchange a glance.

SIF  
Not you, old friend.  
( _beat_ )  
Nor Fandral.

Fandral scoffs.

FANDRAL  
That is hardly funny.

SIF  
( _gravely_ )  
I am not joking.

VOLSTAGG  
( _firmly_ )  
At the risk of sounding treasonous, we  _are_ going with you.

Sif shakes her head.

SIF  
We expect victory today -

FANDRAL  
( _interrupting, irritated_ )  
\- we always do -

SIF  
( _continuing)  
- _but if we fall, someone must lead and protect the Aesir and Vanir - or what's left of them. Protect them. Hide them. And ensure that they do not fall prey to the  _draugr_ plague.

She hesitates - then continues, in a louder voice:

SIF  
 _I navnet til Valhalla,_ Fandral _, sønn av Iona og Asmund, borger av Asgard -_

FANDRAL  
( _interrupting_ )  
Now just a damned second -

SIF  
-  _jeg gjør deg min arving_  -

VOLSTAGG  
( _interrupting, with dawning realization)  
_ Your...heir?

HOGUN  
( _at the same time_ )  
 _\- i namnet på Aldrtrad,_  Volstagg, _son till Astrid och Halvar, medborgare i Vanaheim och Asgard_  -

VOLSTAGG  
( _overlapping, in a low growl_ )  
This is a terrible idea -

SIF  
( _firmly_ )  
It is done.  
( _beat_ )  
If we have not returned by the next sunset, you will close the Bifrost behind us - and you will destroy it.

Fandral opens his mouth to object again, but Volstagg silences him with a hand on one arm. A rather uncharacteristic flicker of emotion crosses Volstagg's face:

VOLSTAGG  
But none of that will come to past. You  _will_ return before the next sunset.

As he speaks, CUT TO Heimdall, his eyes fixed on Amora. She stares back at him with profound sadness.

FANDRAL  
( _angrily_ )  
But all the others are going, I suppose.

THOR  
Not Heimdall.  
( _beat)  
_ I am sorry, friend. You are the only one who -

HEIMDALL  
\- who can send you through. I know.

He looks almost determinedly at Sif and Hogun, and noone else.

HEIMDALL  
( _continuing_ )  
Come back alive.  
( _beat_ )  
All of you.

Thor looks around the group:

THOR  
Enough of this talk.  
( _beat_ )  
Let's save Midgard.


	20. Scene 31

**31\. EXT. A MOVING SKIFF - NIGHT**

CUT TO LOKI - asleep, and pale as death. He is propped up against the back fin of a moving Aesir skiff, his legs sprawled out across the deck. He begins to stir, and as he does, PAN OUT to show the skiff speeding through the moonlit night across strange terrain. JANE is at the helm, large motorcycle goggles protecting her eyes against dusty winds. Loki watches her a moment before he speaks.

LOKI  
It is your turn to sleep.

Jane looks at him over her shoulder. She smirks, but says nothing. He clears his throat and, in a louder voice:

LOKI  
( _in a sinister voice_ )  
Yield the helm now, human.

She laughs.

JANE  
You don't scare me.

She pushes the goggles up to her forehead.

JANE  
( _continuing_ )  
And anyway, you haven't been sleeping as long as you think. Barely an hour.

LOKI  
Why do I get the feeling that you are lying?

JANE  
Aren't you the  _god_ of lies? Can't you  _tell?_

Loki barely smiles - a sad, almost fond sort of expression.

LOKI  
( _sotto voce)_  
I can indeed.

He speaks louder, for her to hear:

LOKI  
You will wake me in one hour. Swear it.

She pulls the goggles back down over her eyes again.

JANE  
I swear.  
( _beat_ )  
Go back to sleep.

As Loki leans back and closes his eyes, CUT TO a montage of scenes of Jane and Loki traveling across Asia, with a score of soaring strings in the background. In one instant we see an aerial shot of the skiff crossing a vast desert by night; in another, we see the skiff speeding down a winding road as packs of feral  _draugr_ pursue it, then drop away as it gains speed. Other scenes show Jane and Loki talking, fighting off draugr, preparing food. As the scenes progress, the skies grow darker, from one day to the next.

Finally, CUT back to Jane and Loki on the skiff. The scenery is different now - mountainous - and there is a persistent, driving rain. Loki is at the helm of the skiff now, holding a pair of binoculars up to his eyes. Jane is sitting on the deck of the skiff behind him, shielded by a huge green poncho, poring over a now-drenched map.

LOKI  
I think that we are close.

He holds the binoculars out to Jane. She takes them as she comes to her feet.

LOKI  
( _continuing_ )  
See for yourself.

Jane pushes her wet hair from her face with one free hand, and looks. Through the binoculars, we see the skyline of the city of Beijing. PAN RIGHT - just as an indistinct DARK SPOT comes into view, the shot JOLTS suddenly. CUT BACK to the skiff:

JANE  
( _dropping the binos_ )  
What was -

There is another violent JOLT, then the slow metallic wheeze of gears grinding to a halt. Jane raises an eyebrow to Loki.

LOKI  
( _irritated_ )  
No sun.

Jane tips her head back and makes an exasperated sound.

JANE  
No power.

LOKI  
Damn it all.  
( _beat_ )  
I was not thinking of it.

Jane stares out at the road ahead of them for a moment. On one side of the road is a long-abandoned roadside diner. The walls are caked with dirt, the parking lot is weedy and overgrown, and dangling from the roof is a broken neon sign in both Mandarin and English.

JANE  
No sweat.

Loki looks at her doubtfully. She shrugs.

JANE  
Hey, we still have some time before nightfall. And I think I know where we can get some sweet rides.

She nods toward the diner. Loki turns. CUT TO the diner again: out front, tangled in weeds and covered in mud, are two chopper-style MOTORCYCLES.

Loki grins.

AERIAL SHOT of Loki and Jane on motorcycles as they speed along the winding, rain-slick G6 expressway toward Beijing. The Great Wall, dark and immense, rises in the distance behind them. They tear through the forested mountains outside the city and roar at speed through Changping and Shahezhen - into the heart of the city itself.

Loki and Jane slow as they approach the heart of the city. Though cars and debris litter the streets, there is no sign of life - even  _draugr_ life. The buildings around them are empty ruins; their windows are broken and empty. And all the while the same gray, driving rain comes down in sheets.

The two bikes slow to a stop, and Jane draws her device out of her bag:

JANE  
It's not far now. Maybe a mile -

She checks the device and then, without looking up, points with one hand:

JANE  
( _continuing_ )  
That way.

LOKI  
Then I suggest we walk.  
( _beat_ )  
Quieter.

Jane gives Loki a quizzical look. He inclines his head to the right.

LOKI  
( _in a whisper_ )  
Slowly.

She very, very slowly turns, until she catches a glimpse: the windows that were previously empty are now occupied. Feverish white eyes shine out at Jane from the darkness - of each and every window.

JANE  
( _whispering_ )  
Shit. Shit-shit-shit-shit.  
( _hesitating_ )  
But-

Her eyes dart back to Loki, but she doesn't turn her head.

JANE  
( _whispering_ )  
Why aren't they attacking?

LOKI  
( _whispering_ )  
I do not know.

They exchange a look.

JANE  
( _whispering_ )  
Then let's get the hell out of here.

LOKI  
( _whispering_ )  
I wholeheartedly agree.

They keep moving through the streets at a steady brisk pace; all the while, the  _draugr_  are tracking them, but coming no closer. At one intersection, Jane stops short at an overturned street-vendor's stand. Her expression is horrified.

LOKI  
What is it?

JANE  
Come look at this.

She pulls the tray off of the cart and tips it completely over. A heap of rotting food matter rolls out. Strewn among the pieces are several orange peels. They're nearly completely decomposed - but not quite.

Jane picks up a crumbling orange peel between two fingers.

JANE  
An orange peel should take five, maybe six months to decompose.

Loki looks at the peel - then up at Jane, his expression one of dawning realization.

LOKI  
Then that means -

Jane nods.

JANE  
This hasn't been zombie territory for long at all.  
( _beat_ )  
This -

She hesitates.

JANE  
( _continuing_ )  
This  _just_ happened.

LOKI  
Hela.  
 _(increasingly angry)  
_ This was a living world. The  _draugr_ didn't exist here until she created them.  
( _beat_ )  
This is so much worse than I imagined.

JANE  
She destroyed a planet.

They stand there for a moment, in the rain, staring down the street ahead of them.

LOKI  
( _finally_ )  
Then let's not let her destroy two.

Jane nods, but her expression is still distant.

JANE  
It's not far now.


	21. Scene 32

**32\. EXT. STREETS OF BEIJING - DAY**

LOKI and JANE press on, moving quickly down the rainy, abandoned streets of downtown Beijing. Jane is still wearing her giant green poncho; Loki hasn't bothered to shield himself from the rain, and is soaking wet. Abandoned cars and bicycles litter the streets, and loose trash blows across the wet asphalt. At one point Jane looks up at the rooftops around them. She catches sight of a tall FIGURE - standing, staring down at them, with one fist raised up in the air at shoulder-height.

LOKI  
( _to Jane_ )  
What is it?

JANE  
( _quietly_ )  
I'll swear I just saw someone.  
( _pointing_ )  
Up there, on that roof. Just... _standing_ there.

Loki looks up, but the figure is gone.

LOKI  
I believe you. But we need to press on, before we lose the light.

They trudge on, keeping to the sidewalks and awnings. Every so often some dark shadow dashes across an alley or appears in the corner of their view - but as soon as one of them looks, the shadow is gone. AERIAL shot as they cross a wide, empty public square, and pass through a gated wall at one end, then through a tall arched tunnel. Finally, they arrive at a long set of steps, leading up and away from street level. Jane is looking down, engrossed in the device:

JANE  
The battery's almost dead. But this should be -

She looks up -

\- and laughs.

JANE  
You have _got_ to be kidding me.

PAN UP on the overgrown, crumbling, but still vast and undeniably majestic vista of Beijing's FORBIDDEN CITY. Just ahead of them, a long set of steps leads up to the wide and still-intact Hall of Supreme Harmony; to the left, the Tower of Enhanced Righteousness is half-collapsed; and to the right, at the feet of the Tower of State Benevolence, are the remnants of a now-abandoned tent city. A few abandoned vehicles are strewn across the square, one of them overturned. And blocking the entrance to the Hall itself - black and opaque and shifting restlessly - is a massive, ever-expanding RIFT.

LOKI  
You know this place?

JANE  
Only from books. It was a palace, once.  
( _beat_ )  
It was someone else's Valhalla.

Her expression, staring up at the Hall, is almost beatific. It takes a moment, then, for her to feel the press of Loki's hand on her arm. She turns.

CUT TO the wide vista of Tianhedian Square, all around them. On every step, in every open doorway, on every wall and parapet - are THOUSANDS of  _draugr_.

But they're not moving. They're watching. And waiting - for something.

360 PAN around Loki and Jane, as the background of the shot reveals more and more of the creatures. The sound reduces down only to the shallow, quick sound of Jane's breathing - fast at first, then steadily slower.

Then, out of the midst of the  _draugr_ , a single figure steps forward.

LOKI  
Jane Foster, we need to go through that rift  _right now -_

But Jane just stares, mesmerized and intent, at the figure. Like the one she saw earlier, this one is holding one first up, as if to silence the other  _draugr._

LOKI  
( _more urgently_ )  
Jane Foster -

Its skin is rotting and its eyes burn white. Yet the ghoulish face of the creature is somehow familiar -

LOKI  
_Jane_  -

And as the figure's face begins to come into focus, we can see -

LOKI  
_Now, Jane!  
_

It is STEVE ROGERS.

JANE  
( _whispering_ )  
Oh my go-

Without warning, Loki SEIZES Jane and HURLS her into the rift, then leaping immediately after her. In that chaotic instant, everything is WHITE -

And then everything is BLACK.


	22. Scene 33

**33\. INT. A SECRET SHIELD BASE - NIGHT**

CLOSE ON the face of MELINDA MAY, her expression concerned. She is standing behind a pane of smart-glass. Crisp blue numbers and figures are flickering across the glass - but she isn't reading them. Melinda's attention is fixed on something beyond the pane, and her eyes flit back and forth with interest. Then, off-camera, something catches her eye. She makes a small, beckoning gesture with one hand.

CUT TO a shot from behind Melinda - now we see that she is looking into a large laboratory, where dozens of people in white jumpsuits are moving around the room in a busy whirl. Among them, ERIK SELVIG and BRUCE BANNER are having a heated conversation. On our side of the glass, JEMMA SIMMONS appears beside Melinda. They both look through the glass into the room for a moment:

MELINDA  
How's it going in there?

JEMMA  
We're making progress. We're close - I just know it.  
( _beat_ )  
Another sample would help.

MELINDA  
We're working on it. Another medevac will be here in -

She glances down at her watch.

MELINDA  
( _continuing_ )  
\- two and a half hours. The Delhi site is finally cordoned off.

JEMMA  
Any sign of others? Other - holes?

Melinda shakes her head.

MELINDA  
Not yet. We're keeping an eye on satellite feeds. And Stark's been doing flyovers to make sure the Delhi singularity isn't getting any larger.

Jemma gives a quick, tense nod.

MELINDA  
And Doctor Banner?

JEMMA  
( _shrugs_ )  
He's certainly motivated. He works harder than any of us - and we're all working as hard as we can.  
( _beat_ )  
I don't think he sleeps.

She gives Melinda a sidelong glance.

JEMMA  
( _continuing_ )  
I think - I think it would help if he could see her.

MELINDA  
Out of the question. Too unstable.

Seeing Jemma's stricken look, Melinda's own expression softens slightly.

MELINDA  
I'm sorry.

JEMMA  
She's too unstable? She can't handle seeing him?

MELINDA  
 _He_ can't handle seeing  _her._

Jemma turns back to stare into the lab again.

MELINDA  
( _quieter_ )  
We all forget sometimes. But you know who - and what - he really is.  
( _beat_ )  
He's valuable to us - but he's dangerous, Jemma. Be careful.

Jemma nods again. There is a long moment before either of them speaks again.

JEMMA  
So I have an idea fo-

Melinda's phone rings. She takes the call.

MELINDA  
May.

( _inaudible response_ )

MELINDA  
What? Where?

( _inaudible response_ )

Melinda turns to look at Jemma with concern.

MELINDA  
I'll be there in six minutes.

She hangs up.

JEMMA  
What is it?

MELINDA  
( _gravely_ )  
I'm going to need you to work a little faster, Jemma.


	23. Scenes 34-35

**34\. A BEIJING STREET - EARLY MORNING**

CUT TO a newscaster, standing on a street corner in the early morning. She is speaking Mandarin Chinese at a brisk clip, and gesturing occasionally to the road behind her. RACK FOCUS to show a long line of orange traffic cones and two policemen, motioning people away from the end of the block.

**35\. AN UNKNOWN OFFICE BUILDING - EARLY MORNING:**

PAN OUT to show that the newscast is being streamed on a small tablet, propped up in the lap of a Chinese military officer -

\- who is fast asleep.

Somewhere nearby, there is the sound of high heels clacking against tile. CUT TO a wide shot of a nondescript hallway in a nondescript office building. The officer is asleep at a desk on one side of the hall; on the other side of the hall, we see a woman in a sleek black business suit, with long red hair tied back in a neat ponytail. She passes the sleeping man and heads down the hallway, away from the camera.

The camera follows her from behind as she moves calmly - but quickly - down the long hall.

Suddenly, another officer comes out from around a corner. Upon seeing the woman, he puts one hand out, then touches his other hand to his ear. Without hesitation, the woman produces a tube of lipstick from her right pocket, presses on it with her right index finger, and SPRAYS the man in the face. He immediately DROPS to the ground with a dull THUD.

The woman continues on to the end of the hall, where she faces two massive wooden doors. She pushes one of them open - inside, we see an older Chinese man sitting at a massive semi-circular desk. He, too, is in a military uniform - but his is much more decorated than the other man's was. He looks up from his reading as the woman enters, and peers at her from behind a pair of gold-rimmed octagonal glasses. An irritated look flickers across his face.

ZIHAO  
Natasha.

CUT TO NATASHA ROMANOFF, her hands clasped politely in front of her.

NATASHA  
General Ren. May I sit?

ZIHAO  
( _irritated_ )  
No, you may not.  
( _beat_ )  
How many times have I told you - if you want to see me, you just call and make an appointment like everyone else.

NATASHA  
( _innocently_ )  
I tried. Your receptionist didn't give me the time of day.

ZIHAO  
_(drily)  
_ But my guards did, I suppose.

Natasha merely shrugs.

ZIHAO  
( _accusingly_ )  
You knocked them out.  
( _beat_ )  
Again?

She smiles. The general pulls the spectacles from his nose and sighs.

ZIHAO  
You're unbelievable.  
( _beat_ )  
It is demoralizing for them, you know. Every other day with the drugs and the concussions and the chokeholds and the -

He gestures with his index finger.

ZIHAO  
( _continuing_ )  
\- the lipstick.

He sighs.

ZIHAO  
( _continuing_ )  
But I know you would not go to so much trouble if it were not important. So - what is it?

NATASHA  
There's something I want to show you.

She draws a small, round object out of her pocket, and puts it on the desk between them. She taps it with one finger: a small white LED on its surface lights up, then a projected image leaps out. It's a shaky, handcam scene of a city street - and dozens of  _draugr,_ slowly making their way down it.

NATASHA  
( _gravely_ )  
We're... going to need your help, one more time.


	24. Scenes 36-37

**36\. EXT. STREETS OF BEIJING - LATE AFTERNOON**

The scene that was projected from Natasha's device RESOLVES into a real shot of the actual street.  _Draugr_ are everywhere - many of them running down screaming civilians in the street. Others are nimbly climbing the walls of nearby buildings, breaking windows, and HURLING themselves inside. One nearby building is on fire, and  _draugr_  are attacking civilians as they flee the flames. It is a scene of utter CHAOS.

The shot PANS LEFT - and we see a brilliant FLASH of light. In its wake - SIF, HOGUN, AMORA, and THOR. Beneath their feet, a familiar black sigil is burnt deep into the asphalt.

From out of view, a massive  _draugr_  LEAPS from the crowd toward Thor, its arms outstretched. Thor leans into its attack and grapples the  _draugr_ to the ground. He PUNCHES IT REPEATEDLY in the face as, with effort, he speaks to the others:

THOR  
I think -  
( _punch_ )  
we are in -  
( _punch_ )  
the right -  
( _punch_ )  
place!

CUT TO Sif as she leaps into a nearby pack of  _draugr_. She spears one with her blade, and then SHOVES it away at another, knocking the second  _draugr_  down. As she prepares to deal a finishing blow to both, a third  _draugr_ crawls out of the crowd and grabs her right leg, preparing to bite. She yells in pain and turns to free herself; then suddenly, the creature arches backward, writhing in pain as flickers of blue flame race across the edges of its mouth and eyes. CUT OVER To Amora, her hands out and still aglow with blue, her eyes wide.

SIF  
( _earnestly_ )  
I am in your debt.

AMORA  
( _unsteady_ )  
Happy to help.

QUICK CUTS of all four warriors as they hack their way through the  _draugr_ crowd.  In another scene, Hogun SLAMS a  _draugr_  to the ground with his mace. The creature seizes one of his legs and pulls him down, and the mace drops to one side as Hogun and the  _draugr_  grapple for control. The  _draugr_  climbs atop Hogun and, snarling, attempts to bite him in the face; Hogun holds it at arm's length with one arm as he repeatedly punches the creature in the ribs with the other. The creature still does not relent, and is getting ever closer to Hogun's neck; Hogun seizes the creature by the shoulders and FLIPS it backward over his head. Then, still on his knees, he spins around, grabs the mace, and POUNDS it into the creature's soft skull with a sickening crunch.

From out of view another  _draugr_  leaps toward Hogun, but its jump is interrupted when Thor HURLS the hammer at it, KNOCKING it sharply sideways and out of view. The shot follows the  _draugr_  as it skids to a stop at Sif's feet; without hesitation, she DRIVES the sharp edge of her shield down into its neck, severing its rotting head. Sif, now spattered with clotted gray liquid, looks right - the camera PANS to follow:

SIF  
( _O.S._ )  
Amora?

PAN TO Amora, working her way through a crowd of  _draugr_  by sending brilliant blue lances of fire upward as she goes - one, then another, then another. As they strike the  _draugr,_ the creatures catch fire, and writhe or fall away from her as she charges ahead.

AMORA  
Sif, I feel strange -

She is cut short when sends a great, hulking  _draugr_ up in flames - but unlike the others, this one doesn't relent. Still burning, it LUNGES toward her, arms open, and grabs her. The creature then CHARGES against a nearby wall, pinning Amora behind the flames. She screams in pain as she digs her fingernails into the creature's torso - then suddenly, there is a high-pitched sound -

\- and a MASSIVE EXPLOSION of blue flame, around her. As the flames subside, the shot PANS UP to show Amora from above. She leans against the wall and slumps to the ground, in the center of a ring of black ash.

CUT TO Sif, who bursts into a sudden, jarring laugh.

SIF  
Do you feel better  _now_?

CLOSE ON Amora, grinning. Her teeth are a startling white against the ash that coats her face.

AMORA  
Much.

CUT TO Thor and Hogun, back-to-back as they fend off  _draugr_ together. The camera pans to show that they are fighting against the backdrop of a massive electronic screen. On the screen is a giant, colorful map of India. The city of Agra is marked with a bright red dot and three-foot-high red font. Then suddenly, the program cuts away to an older male newscaster, sitting behind a desk. The newscaster touches one hand to his ear and shuffles papers:

NEWSCASTER:  
( _on the screen)_  
We're interrupting our ongoing coverage of the Delhi crisis to bring you breaking news. It appears the Delhi singularity is no longer the only one of its kind. Mere moments ago, BTV-Beijing has reported the appearance of new, Delhi-like phenomena near the following metropolitan areas -  
  
The newscaster looks down to read off of a monitor off-screen:  
  
NEWSCASTER:  
( _continuing_ )  
Abuja -  
St. Petersburg -  
Auckland -  
more coming in now -  
near Bern -  
Boston -   
Sao Paolo -  
\- my God...

**37\. INT. A SECRET SHIELD BASE - DAY**

JEMMA  
( _O.S., shouting_ )  
Someone turn that thing off!  
  
PULL OUT from the newscaster to show that the same program that was playing on the Beijing screen is playing on a monitor in Jemma's laboratory. QUICK, UNSTEADY shots of chaos in the laboratory and dozens of scientists barking orders and running tests. Amidst all of it, a gurney is wheeled in.

ERIK  
( _above the noise_ )  
Make some room, people!  
  
Jemma turns to a rack of IV bags and begins connecting one to the next in an elaborate daisy-chain. On the gurney, a wounded  _draugr_  is flailing and thrashing. It is secured only at the ankles, and its arms are shooting out wildly in every direction. It seizes hold of the white jacket of a nearby scientist.  
  
JEMMA  
( _in a warning tone_ )  
I need this thing tied down  _right now_  -

Erik presses down on one of the creature's arm and gestures across the room with his other arm. QUICK PAN to Bruce - who is looking distinctly overwhelmed.

ERIK  
Doctor Banner, I could really use your help here.

Bruce darts over to assist. Jemma turns back to the creature; she is now holding a massive, sinister-looking hypodermic needle in one hand. The needle is connected to the IV series by a slender, translucent tube. Erik, Bruce, and the others struggle to restrain the creature.

ERIK  
( _with manic enthusiasm_ )  
This could be it, Bruce. If it works, we could try it on - 

From Bruce's pocket, a phone rings. He pulls the phone out with his free hand and stares at the phone in disbelief before answering:

BRUCE  
( _dumbfounded_ )  
D- Darce?


	25. Chapters 38-42

**38\. EXT. BEIJING STREETS - LATE AFTERNOON**

CUT TO the streets of Beijing on Earth - in a state of chaos. Jane and Loki are standing together in a dark alley as rain pours down on them. Jane has Darcy's pink iPhone pressed against her ear, inside the hood of her green poncho.

JANE  
( _in a whisper_ )  
No, I'm sorry, Doctor Banner - this is Jane.  
( _beat_ )  
Hello?

She waits a moment.

JANE  
Doctor Banner, are you there?

Jane ends the call and dials again - no response.

JANE  
Great.

She thumbs through the contact list on Darcy's phone.

JANE  
The only other people she has in her contact list are me and...

She laughs.

JANE  
( _continuing_ )  
Domino's.

Loki arches an eyebrow.

JANE  
A pizza delivery place.  
( _beat_ )  
It's food. Not much use to -

LOKI  
( _interrupting_ )  
Call them.

JANE  
( _sputtering, laughing)_ _  
_ Wh- what? Why?

Loki leans in toward Jane.

LOKI  
Trust me.

Without looking away from Loki, Jane dials Domino's - and hands the phone to him.

JANE  
All yours.

Loki takes the phone and holds it, awkwardly, about three inches away from his ear. As the phone rings on the other end:

LOKI  
Something I found in the mind of your friend, Mister Barton.  
( _grinning_ )  
The  _only_  thing, really. It was an empty, desolate wasteland in that brain of his.

Jane gives him a LOOK. On the other end of the phone, someone picks up:

VOICE  
( _O.S._ )  
Domino's Pizza Willowdale - may I take your order?

LOKI  
Protocol 334556, L-B, S-K-J 08U7342 -  
( _beat_ )  
\- execute.

CUT TO a Wachowskian shot of green ones and zeros, racing at breakneck speed across a field of black, towards -

**39\. AN UNIDENTIFIED AIRFIELD - DAY**

PHIL COULSON! Coulson is walking across a vast, sunny tarmac as a SHIELD quinjet is being loaded behind him.

COULSON  
( _relieved_ )  
Barton! Where the hell have -

**40\. EXT. BEIJING STREETS - LATE AFTERNOON**

LOKI  
This is - ah - 

He stops short, and abruptly SHOVES the phone back at Jane. Jane nearly fumbles it as she takes it:

JANE  
Director Coulson?

CUT BACK to Coulson, now pressing one finger to his opposite ear as he ducks into a nearby hangar. He stops walking suddenly:

COULSON  
( _bewildered_ )  
Doctor Foster?

JANE  
Yes!  
( _glancing up at Loki_ )  
Listen, I don't have a lot of time, but there's something you need to know.

**41\. AN UNIDENTIFIED AIRFIELD - DAY**

CUT TO Coulson. We hear Jane's voice in the background:

JANE  
( _O.S_.)  
Those creatures - the  _draugr -_ some of them are sentient.

Coulson starts to respond - but he is distracted by something he is seeing off-screen. SLOW PAN around him to show the far edge of the tarmac, and brilliant white desert beyond. Something black and indistinct is flickering - hanging in the air. Growing.

COULSON squints as he steps forward to get a better look:

COULSON  
( _to himself_ )  
What in the name -

**42\. EXT. BEIJING STREETS - LATE AFTERNOON**

CUT BACK to Jane and Loki in the alley, as rain pours down on both of them.

JANE  
( _continuing hurriedly_ )  
I know, it's troubling - they can think, and plan, and strategize. I've seen it. And Director -  
( _hesitating_ )  
\- there are copies of us - all of us. There are  _draugr_  Avengers.

Through the phone there is a loud, harrowing SCREAM - followed by a loud burst of static.

JANE  
Hello? Hello?  
( _beat_ )  
Damnit!

Jane stares down at the phone in frustration. She looks up at Loki - but he's looking past her, into the street. RACK FOCUS behind her.

Lurching forward, down the middle of the street and toward a vehicle barricade, is a FIGURE. Its metallic exoskeleton is tarnished, ink-black liquid drips from various joints, and half of its helmet has broken away to reveal a rotting, fleshless jaw -

\- but it is unmistakably an armed, armored, and thoroughly undead TONY STARK.

This  _draugr_ Iron Man drags one dead leg behind it, and raises one arm, palm forward. There is a high-pitched KEEN, then the scene is ROCKED SUDDENLY as the creature activates its hand cannon, BLASTING three parked cars out of its way. Around him, feral  _draugr_  race forward, darting through the gap between two overturned vehicles.

WHIP PAN down to the far end of the street - the living CAPTAIN AMERICA, Steve Rogers, is standing alone, blocking his body with his shield as the  _draugr_  rush toward him. He touches one hand to his ear:

STEVE  
Uh, Tony? You're really -

The first  _draugr_  reaches him; he sends it FLYING to the side with a well-timed SHIELD BASH -

STEVE  
( _continuing_ )  
\- really -

And BAM! another -

STEVE  
( _continuing_ )  
\- not going to like this.

CUT TO the living, human Tony Stark in the classic Iron Man suit, flying low over Beijing streets now overrun with  _draugr_. He fires cannon blasts into the hordes, causing some of them to disperse - but there are thousands more. He does a barrel roll and flies LOW toward Steve.

TONY  
There are a lot of things I really don't like,  _Elsa._ Burnt popcorn -  
( _fires a hand-cannon_ )  
\- Dire Straits -  
( _fires again_ )  
\- the sound of candy wrappers being crinkled in a quiet room.

Tony reaches Steve's fight and balances in the air near him.

TONY  
( _continuing_ )  
How bad can this really -

Then Tony SEES  _draugr_ Iron Man for the first time.

TONY  
Oh, no. Oh,  _hell no._ _  
_ ( _beat_ )  
Friday, I'm gonna need you to give m-

Tony is cut short when he takes a CANNON BLAST to the left shoulder. He spirals quickly downward and SLAMS into the asphalt with an earth-shaking CRASH, sending up a massive cloud of dust that temporarily blocks the view.

As the dust clears a little we see Steve, with  _draugr_ crawling all over him. He writhes as he tries to pick them off.

STEVE  
I could - ah - I could use a little help, buddy.

CUT BACK to Jane and Loki, still in the alley.

JANE  
We have to do something.

Loki looks at Jane - then at Steve - then back at Jane again. He hesitates - then takes Jane's upper arms in both hands.

LOKI  
( _gravely_ )  
Promise me you will stay here.

Jane holds up her right wrist, and the cuff glints in the light.

JANE  
I can help.

Loki shakes his head.

LOKI  
( _gravely_ )  
Swear it.

Jane gives him a strange look.

JANE  
I'm not swearing anyth-

She stops short and looks down. Her entire body - beginning with her arms under Loki's hands - gradually becomes INVISIBLE. She looks quickly back up at Loki and opens her mouth to protest - but soon her face, too, has become translucent.

Loki gives Jane one last look - then, without hesitation, LEAPS into the pile of  _draugr_ surrounding Steve. As arcs of GREEN FIRE burn around his hands, he begins to TEAR the creatures off of Steve.

A short distance away, Tony begins to pull himself back up to his feet, his armor groaning with the effort. CUT TO Tony's helmet-internal view, with status messages and numbers flickering across his view in crisp green font.

FRIDAY  
( _V.O._ )  
Suit integrity at 16%. Sir, you should know that the alien Lo -

TONY  
( _V.O.)_ _  
_Not now__ , Friday -

The  _draugr_ Iron Man LEAPS out of the dust cloud on to Tony's back, and begins raining heavy blows down on him like a gorilla. Sparks fly from under  _draugr_ Iron Man's fists as he hammers into the superstructure of Tony's red armor.

Tony gets low and ROLLS sideways, away from the undead Iron Man. He scrambles to his feet and gets off a HAND CANNON SHOT - but the  _draugr_ Iron Man dodges away from it, and continues his unrelenting charge toward Tony.

QUICK CUT down the street - CLOSE ON Steve's face, behind his shield. He has been backed into a corner by a huge  _draugr._ The creature's face and claw-like hands are visible behind and at the edges of the shield. Then, suddenly, the creature WAILS in agony and arches backward, its body crisscrossed by arcs of green lightning. With effort, Loki PULLS the creature off of Steve and hurls it aside. He then extends a hand to Steve, who stares at him in complete SHOCK before taking it:

STEVE  
Uh -  
( _beat_ )  
\- thanks.

Loki begins to respond, but is interrupted by a loud metallic CRACK. CUT OVER to see  _draugr_ Iron Man pinning Tony to the ground, twisting Tony's left arm at an unnatural angle. The armor is cracking at the elbow joint. Tony HOWLS in agony as the undead Iron Man drives one of its knees into the arc reactor on his chest.

In one motion, Loki gets a running start, draws his two blades, and LEAPS onto  _draugr_  Iron Man's back. He PLUNGES the blades into the thin seam between its neck armor and its helmet, causing the creature to release Tony's arm and thrash backward wildly. Steve takes advantage of the moment and SLAMS his shield into  _draugr_ Iron Man's face.

Both  _draugr_ Iron Man and Loki are knocked backwards - but Loki deftly rolls away from the fall. He then scrambles over to the fallen creature and drives one of his twin blades into  _draugr_ Iron Man's flickering arc reactor. There is a massive EXPLOSION and both Loki and the creature are wreathed in white light. The light subsides - in its wake, the  _draugr_  is dead, and Loki is on his hands and knees, coughing up blood on to the ground.

He looks up at Steve and Tony as a string of black blood drips from his lower lip:

LOKI  
Well, this is -

SLAM! Loki is interrupted by a thundering blow to his back that knocks him to the ground, stunned. The creature is the same huge  _draugr_  that had pursued Steve - not yet dead, and back for more. The creature leans low over Loki and brings its claws to his neck, ready to snap his spine.

But SUDDENLY, the creature releases Loki and ROARS in pain. It reaches backward, toward its own shoulders, and thin gray liquid sprays from a fresh, gaping wound on its back. The monster flails its limbs in every direction, heaves a final breath, and SLAMS to the ground.

The air above the creature begins to shimmer and shift. JANE appears there - kneeling on the dead  _draugr'_ s back, a long, jagged fence-post clutched in both hands. She is COVERED in gray  _draugr_  blood, except for a clean stripe of skin around her eyes, where her motorcycle goggles had been a moment ago.

Jane climbs down from the creature's back, and pulls the fence-post back out of its back with a sickening POP. She turns to Loki with a smirk:

JANE  
Well?

Loki begins to push himself up, out of the pool of blood that his face had been resting in. He returns her smile, then doubles over again in pain.

LOKI  
Not -  
( _wincing_ )  
\- not bad, Doctor Foster.

RACK FOCUS behind him. A red metal BOOT comes into view.

TONY  
( _O.S.)_ _  
_ Hey - uh -

PAN UP to Tony's face. His helmet is off, and he has extended one hand down toward Loki.

TONY  
( _continuing_ )  
\- thanks.

Loki takes Tony's hand and pulls himself up, so that the two men are face-to-face.

LOKI  
It was my pleasure entirely.  
( _smirking_ )  
Only  _I_ have the right to beat you that badly.

Tony laughs in spite of himself. He begins to respond, but -

STEVE  
Guys.  _Guys._

Steve nods toward the end of the block. Jane, Tony, and Loki all turn to look. CUT BACK to Steve.

STEVE  
It can't be. Is that -

CUT TO ---


	26. Scene 43

**43\. INT. A SECRET SHIELD BASE - DAY**

SUDDEN CUT to the harsh fluorescent lights and sterile furnishings of Jemma's secret laboratory.

JEMMA  
Doctor Banner?

Jemma is standing over a prone  _draugr_  that has been lashed to an operating table. Dozens of whisker-thin filaments are attached to sensor pads, all over the creature's body. Jemma is holding a full syringe in one hand, and an empty one in the other. As she stands there, the creature's grey flesh -

\- begins to turn a healthy PINK.

JEMMA  
Doctor Banner, talk to me. What are you seeing in those readings?

CLOSE ON Bruce's face, through a translucent pane of smart glass. Numbers and figures are flickering across the glass. He begins to smile.

BRUCE  
( _almost inaudibly_ )  
It's working.

He turns to Jemma.

BRUCE  
( _shouting_ )  
It's working!

Jemma starts to smile brightly, as does Erik next to her - but before she can say another word, Bruce reaches across the operating table and SEIZES the full vial out of her hand. He turns and RUNS out of the room, pursued by lab technicians.

CLOSE ON Bruce as he SPRINTS down a long, nondescript gray hallway.

JEMMA  
( _O.S._ )  
Doctor Banner, no! It's not ready! She's -

Her voice fades as he runs further on - and all other sounds subside except for the beating of his heart. He reaches the end of the hallway and SHOVES open a heavy metal door.

CUT TO a square room, brightly lit and full of medical instruments. In the center of the room, Darcy is lying on a hospital bed - and her body, covered in blankets, seems impossibly small. Orderlies are swarming all around her, shouting. Then, suddenly, above it all, there is the haunting and harrowing sound -

\- of a heart rate monitor FLATLINING.  
  
CLOSE ON Bruce's face - as he begins to react.


	27. Scenes 44

**44\. EXT. BEIJING STREETS - DUSK**

CLOSE ON AMORA's face. She is running at high speed, gasping for air. Her white-blonde hair is flying behind her.

Amora shouts:

AMORA  
( _over one shoulder_ )  
We are nearly th-

Amora turns a sharp corner and SUDDENLY SKIDS to a stop. The shot pulls out to show that SIF, THOR, and HOGUN - all running with her - have stopped as well. The camera PANS UP to show the Forbidden Palace across the square ahead of them, bathed in the red glow of sunset. The great black rift on the palace steps is still there. And between the warriors and the rift -

\- is  _draugr_ HULK.

HOGUN  
( _in a low whisper_ )  
_Mikill Frigg._

The creature is ENORMOUS - twice again the size of the "normal" Hulk. The grey-green beast is staring away from them, down the street. The camera follows his gaze, and in the distance we see LOKI, TONY, STEVE, and JANE.

 _Draugr_ Hulk lets out a long, earth-shaking ROAR. In an instant, HUNDREDS of feral  _draugr_  begin pouring out of the rift behind him.

HOGUN  
( _quickly, to Amora_ )  
The gate - can you close it?

AMORA  
I can try.

Sif's expression is grave.

SIF  
We will buy you as much time as we can.

Amora gives a quick nod, and presses her hands together. Tendrils of blue light begin to flicker between her fingertips.

Sif and Hogun exchange a look - and Sif draws her sword.

QUICK CUT away, across the square, to Jane, Loki, Tony and Steve. They are still standing near the corpse of the fallen  _draugr_  Iron Man. Tony is staring down the alley at the  _draugr_ Hulk - the others are looking at something up in the sky above them.

TONY  
( _muttering to himself in a falsetto_ )  
How about Cuba, Tony? Don't answer that call. SHIELD can wait. Let's go get sunburned and drink rum.

He looks around at the others.

TONY  
I'm sorry, is there something  _more important than zombie Hulk_  that you people are looking at?

Jane nods mutely, and points upward. Tony turns to look.

A massive black QUINJET hovers above them, blocking out the sun. The plane is moving erratically, as if off-balance. The protective glass covering the cockpit has been broken away, revealing a helmeted pilot and countless figures inside -

\- all of them  _draugr_.

The four of them exchange a look. Tony sighs wearily.

TONY  
Go on ahead.

He fires the burners on his gloves and boots. As he rises up into the air:

TONY  
( _continuing_ )  
I got this.

Jane and Steve exchange a glance, and begin running down toward the main square, where  _draugr_ continue to pour out of the rift. But Loki stays.

Tony looks down at Loki in evident surprise. Loki smirks.

LOKI  
Please.  
( _beat_ )  
You need all the help you can get.

Tony grins in spite of himself; he taps a button on his suit, and his helmet reassembles around his head. The creatures in the quinjet begin to HOWL as they POUR out of the plane toward Loki and Tony.

QUICK CUT back across the square. CLOSE ON Thor as he breaks into a RUN, sprinting across the square toward the  _draugr_  Hulk. As he runs, he drags the hammer  _Mjölnir_  beside him on the ground, tearing up massive pieces of cobblestone and pavement. When he reaches the creature, he SLAMS the hammer upward into its ribs. The undead Hulk ROARS in pain, then takes hold of Thor's arm with both hands, and savagely DRAGS Thor across the broken ground.

HOGUN  
Thor?

THOR  
I can manage -

Thor manages to sink a solid punch into  _draugr_ Hulk's leg with his free arm; the creature answers by POUNDING Thor's body downward into the pavement. Thor rolls to one side:

THOR  
( _continuing_ )  
But those -

PAN OVER to the  _draugr_  horde pouring out of the rift. Sif drives the spear end of her weapon into the gut of a nearby  _draugr,_  and looks back over her shoulder at Hogun.

SIF  
_Hilse dine gjester, kjærlighet_  -

Hogun races to Sif's side, and they begin to fight, together, through the tide of feral  _draugr_.

QUICK CUT back to Jane and Steve, still racing down the alley, toward the square. Steve sprints ahead, and Jane is separated from him when a PACK OF UNDEAD WOLVES flies out toward her from an alley to her left. Jane skids to a stop as the creatures form a wide circle around her. The  _draugr_ wolves growl at her, scratching at the pavement with bony, fleshless claws.

CLOSE ON Jane as she takes a deep breath.

The first of the wolves LEAPS AT Jane. As it does, she throw her hands up, wrists crossed, in a protective position. Suddenly, a brilliant sphere of white, phosphorescent light springs up around her. As the creature slams into the sphere, its body bursts into blinding white flames. The wolf is knocked backwards, and writhes in agony on the ground as it burns.

The other wolves charge her too: one, then another, then six more at once. The shield holds, and Jane moves forward among the creatures, forcing them into its path. After a few moments, only she and the sphere remain - and all around her are the charred, nearly unrecognizable corpses of the  _draugr_ wolves.

The shield around Jane subsides with a flicker. She takes a deep breath, and catches sight of Steve, not far away.

JANE  
Hey, what's th-

She is interrupted when one last undead wolf CHARGES at her from the shadows to her right. Jane throws herself forward into its attack and grabs both sides of its head in her hands. The creature snarls and snaps at her, its blood-slick fangs just a few inches from her face. Then - without a second thought, Jane WRENCHES her arms counter-clockwise - and snaps the wolf's neck.

The creature's body drops to the ground, and Jane staggers backward. Her hands are on her knees, and she takes a few deep breaths to recover. Then, she looks back up at Steve. He is standing still, his finger pressed to one ear - distracted.

JANE  
Steve?

Steve lets his hand drop from his ear. He looks at Jane, stunned.

STEVE  
They have a cure.

He calls out to the others, across the square.

STEVE  
( _shouting_ )  
There's a cure!  
( _beat_ )  
Don't kill any more of them!

QUICK CUT across the square to Tony and Loki. Loki is battling his way through the  _draugr;_ Tony is still airborne, exchanging fire with the quinjet.

TONY  
I'm sorry, Grandpa Rogers, I'm not sure I copied that. Did you say "don't kill them"?

Loki shoves a  _draugr_ to the ground and drops down, sinking his two twin knives into its neck. He looks up at Tony, as if to say something - but at that moment, another  _draugr_ leaps out at Loki, taking him by surprise. Loki ducks, and the creature misses him.

TONY  
( _O.S._ )  
Jet's coming down!

SUDDEN CUT to the end of the alley. The quinjet, having taken a shot to one wing, spirals down and HITS the ground with a massive explosion. A ball of flame erupts from the jet. As the flames die down, a small, helmeted figure rolls out of the wreckage, and begins RUNNING down the alley, toward the rift. CLOSE ON the helmeted figure; as it runs, wisps of red smoke begin to glow around its hands and lower arms.

Without hesitation, Loki SPRINTS down the alley. QUICK, HANDCAM shots of both the pilot and Loki as he pursues the quinjet pilot back to the main square.

The pilot stops short as it catches sight of Amora on the far side of the square. The sorceress is standing in the shadows near the rift, moving her hands quickly in a sphere of blue light.

In that moment of distraction, Loki SLAMS into the pilot, knocking its helmet free. And in that instant, we see the pilot's face: fine-boned, grey-skinned, and white-eyed - it is unmistakably a  _draugr_ WANDA MAXIMOFF - the Scarlet Witch.

HOGUN  
( _O.S._ )  
Steve!

QUICK CUT away from Loki and  _draugr_ Wanda to the rooftops above them. Hogun is standing over the body of a fallen  _draugr._

HOGUN  
( _louder_ )  
_Steve Rogers!_

CUT TO Steve Rogers - standing in the middle of the square as fighting rages on around him. He has a HORRIFIED expression on his face. The camera PANS to follow his gaze.

On the far side of the square, a small figure is crouched over a civilian's dead body. At the sound of Hogun's shout, the figure looks up.

STEVE  
( _quietly_ )  
Oh, no -

He starts to walk toward the figure. Thor - still fighting - calls out to him from across the square.

THOR  
( _O.S._ )  
Turn back! It is  _not her_!

But Steve doesn't turn back. He crosses the square as the fighting continues all around him. The figure rises from its crouch - it is NATASHA ROMANOFF, but her skin is pale and gray. Steve touches one finger to his ear:

STEVE  
If I can catch her, we can cure her.

Tony's voice is frantic, ringing out from Steve's earpiece:

TONY  
( _O.S._ )  
Steve, it's not -  
( _static_ )  
\- our Nat -  
( _static_ )

Steve closes the distance and is now mere feet from the  _draugr_ Natasha. She steps toward him, one hand extended piteously. Steve reaches for her hand. As he does, the undead Natasha leaps onto him -

\- peels back the armor on his shoulder -

\- and SINKS her teeth into his neck.

CUT BACK across the square to Loki and  _draugr_ Wanda, grappling on the ground. The undead Wanda scrambles free of Loki, and begins to move her hands around one another in a horrible, jerky imitation of the living witch. But before she can finish her spell, Loki leaps at her and DRIVES his twin blades into both sides of her ribcage.  _Draugr_ Wanda gives a strange, inhuman WAIL that catches in her throat. Loki pulls the blades out, and prepares to finish her off, but is interrupted -

THOR  
( _from across the square_ )  
Brother! Spare her! There is a -

Loki looks up at Thor. Taking advantage of his distraction, the  _draugr_ witch seizes Loki's face in her hands.

CUT TO a shot of an endless sea of thick, viscous black fluid, under a stormy gray sky. There is nothing else: only the deafening, unending sound of a HUMAN SCREAM. As the shot lingers, we see a single hand rise up out of the black liquid - and the voice screaming begins to sound somehow familiar -

CRACK! CUT BACK to the square, where Sif is standing over the undead - and now unconscious - Wanda. Sif is holding her double-ended blade in one hand, and an enormous brick in the other.  _Draugr_ Wanda has rolled to one side, away from Loki. Her bright-burning eyes have rolled back into her head, but she is still breathing shallow.

But Loki is unconscious too. Sif drops to one knee beside him:

SIF  
( _urgently_ )  
Laufeyson.  
( _shaking him_ )  
_Wake up!_

CUT TO Amora, some twenty feet away, near the rift. The flickers of white light around her hands coalesce into a steady BEAM of light, connecting her with the open rift.

AMORA  
( _with effort_ )  
I almost - have it -

Not far away, the  _draugr_ Hulk has Thor in his grip. When the creature catches sight of Amora, however, he releases Thor and TAKES OFF across the square, running toward the sorceress. The ground shudders with every step he takes. Thor sprints after him:

THOR  
No!

Amora looks up in surprise - just in time to see the  _draugr_ Hulk seize her entire body with one massive hand. The great creature doesn't wait - he immediately HURLS Amora away, toward one side of the square. Amora goes FLYING, and COLLIDES with a far wall with a terrible CRACK. As she slides down the wall, the light that had been forming around her hands subsides.

Thor RUNS and CLIMBS up the  _draugr_  Hulk's back. With great effort, he raises the hammer  _Mjölnir_ into the air. The  _draugr_  Hulk thrashes wildly as it tries to pull Thor from its back - but to no avail. A BRIGHT BOLT of lightning - as wide around as a small tree - tears down from the sky, channeled through Thor's hammer. The electrical energy surges through him into the undead Hulk. In that instant, every muscle in the creature's body contracts, and there is a cascade of sickening CRUNCHING SOUNDS as its bones break from the inside. The undead creature tumbles to the ground, and Thor - clearly exhausted from the effort of calling lightning - rolls free.

CUT BACK across the square to Jane, who has by now dispatched all of the  _draugr_ wolves. She dashes to Amora's side, and drops to one knee.

Amora's head slumps at an awkward angle; her arms are limp at her sides. Her spine is almost certainly broken, and there is a ragged, bloody wound on Amora's leg, where it caught on a rock as she hit the wall.

JANE  
( _softly_ )  
Hey. Hey, stay with me.

She starts to rip a strip of fabric from Amora's cloak, for a bandage.

JANE  
( _continuing_ )  
You're going to be -

With what seems like tremendous effort, Amora lifts one hand to stop Jane.

AMORA  
No, Jane Foster. It is too late.

JANE  
( _firmly_ )  
No, it's not. You're going to be fine. And you're going to close that rift.

AMORA  
I am not.  
( _beat_ )  
But you are.

Jane shakes her head.

JANE  
I can't.

AMORA  
You can. You know how to trigger the shard's powers. And the shard  _will_ defend you.  
( _beat_ )  
Even against the rift itself.

Amora stretches her fingers a little further toward Jane.

AMORA  
_(continuing_ )  
You may have to go through it to trigger the power, Jane.  
( _beat_ )  
Do you understand what that means?

There is a pause - then Jane nods. Amora presses her pale lips into the ghost of a smile.

AMORA  
Then hurry, Jane. Go through only if you must. And whatever you do, someday -  
( _beat_ )  
\- I will meet you on the  _Náströnd_. We will drink together in Hel. And Jane -

Amora squeezes Jane's hand with feeling.

AMORA  
( _her voice breaking_ )  
Tell Heimdall that I am sorry. That I never stopped loving him. Not ever.  
( _beat_ )  
Make sure he knows it, Jane.

Jane presses Amora's hand between her two hands.

JANE  
I will.

She slowly releases Amora's hand.

JANE  
( _continuing)  
_ I am sorry, Amora.

She slowly stands, and turns to face the rift.

CUT TO the great, black rift. For an instant, the entire gate seems to flicker, and contort - and then, suddenly, HELA steps out of it. An elaborate, filigreed black mask covers half her face and extends down around her neck and shoulders. Her torso, arms and legs are covered in an iridescent leather armor that is so dark green that it appears to be black.

Time seems to SLOW DOWN as Hela walks ahead, unaffected by the fighting all around her. She stops when she reaches Loki's prone body. Sif leaps up to stop her, but is hurled backward, as if by some unseen force. Hela seizes Loki by the back of his collar and turns. She turns, and drags him behind her.

And then -

\- she HURLS Loki through the rift.

Jane SCREAMS in abject horror. Hela vanishes into the rift as her scream dies out.

Then Jane, too, runs toward the rift -

\- takes a flying leap -

\- and GOES THROUGH.


	28. Scenes 45-End

**45\. EXT. DRAUGR FORBIDDEN CITY - EVENING**

AERIAL SHOT of LOKI, sprawled across the wet, black cobblestones of the  _draugr_ Forbidden City. As the shot pulls out, we see that he is lying at the steps of a ruined palace that is overgrown with mold and rot. Bolts of LIGHTNING tear across the sky, momentarily bathing the dark square in cold, white light. A heavy rain drives down from cloud-covered skies. And standing on the steps, just above Loki, is HELA.

She KICKS Loki's prone body.

HELA  
Get up.

Loki rolls to the side - slowly and painfully. There is black jotunn blood EVERYWHERE. Hela kicks Loki again, and he groans audibly. Rainwater rolls off his head and shoulders as he doubles over in pain.

LOKI  
( _barely audible_ )  
Just... kill me.

HELA  
No. Not yet.

She crouches down so that she is sitting on her heels, about a foot from Loki.

HELA  
( _continuing_ )  
I want you here. I want you to  _see_ what happens next.

Loki presses his eyes shut, and for an instant it seems that they will never open again.

LOKI  
( _slowly_ )  
You must truly hate me.

Hela leans back a little. Her expression is strangely sincere.

HELA  
With all my soul.

Loki laughs, and it becomes a ragged cough.

LOKI  
( _drily_ )  
You have a soul?

Hela stares up at the lightning-streaked sky. Rain rolls off of her forehead and down the line of her nose.

HELA  
( _softly_ )  
You are not the hero of this story, Loki Laufeyson.

She looks back down.

HELA  
( _continuing_ )  
You are a liar and a killer. In every reality that has ever been.  
( _beat_ )  
You murdered your own wife, your brothers, their families, and the All-Father. And broke the heart of the only mother you ever knew.  
( _beat_ )  
You drove the Aesir and Vanir to massacre one another. You broke families apart with malice and lies.  
( _beat_ )  
And then you brought on Ragnarök - and with it, the end of all life. Again and again.

Hela extends one hand out toward Loki. Her fingers tremble as she clenches it into a fist.

HELA  
( _accusingly_ )  
I watched the same deaths so many times.  
( _beat_ )  
All of it was  _your_  doing.

LOKI  
( _with effort_ )  
I am not that Loki.

She laughs bitterly. Her voice quavers with emotion and rage:

HELA  
Of  _course_  you are. There is a darkness in you, and it drives everything you have ever done. There is a pattern, Loki. And I know - even if you do not - that you will do it all again, if given half a chance.  
( _beat_ )  
Do you think anything you have done in this - this  _one_ reality can change that?

LOKI  
I cannot defend the past.  
( _beat_ )  
But right now, only one of us is trying to destroy the universe.

Hela scoffs.

HELA  
Is it the universe you want to save? Or one creature in it?

LOKI  
What do you expect me to say?

Hela slowly stands, and the rain rolls off her shoulders. She stares down at Loki, her hands in tight fists at her sides.

HELA  
( _emphasizing every word_ )  
I expect you to  _beg_.

CLOSE ON Loki's face - exhausted and deathly pale. Slowly, he lifts his head to face Hela. His expression is both determined and desperate:

LOKI  
Spare Earth.  
( _with emphasis_ )  
I  _beg_  you.

Hela laughs abruptly, almost giddily - then she claps one hand over her mouth.

HELA  
Earth?  
( _beat_ )  
Coming from you, that is rich _._

LOKI  
I will do whatever you wish. But let them live.

Hela's expression changes. She looks at Loki pityingly.

HELA  
Oh, Loki. What do you think is left there to save?

As Hela continues speaking, CUT TO -

**46\. INT. A SECRET SHIELD BASE - NIGHT**

\- a small control room, grim and sickly under flickering yellow lights. There are dozens of monitors arrayed against the back wall, all of them showing only STATIC. Long desks full of computers and control panels stretch across the room - and behind them, a handful of terrified looking lab technicians are holding handguns and shotguns. SLOW ZOOM toward the center of the room, where MELINDA MAY in standing perfectly still. Her jaw is tense; she is holding a pistol in each hand.

HELA  
( _continuing, V.O._ )  
The humans have already lost.

CLOSE ON Melinda's face as she takes a silent, shuddering breath. She brings both guns up, pointing straight ahead, level with her shoulders.

HELA  
( _continuing, V.O._ )  
They cannot even control their own monsters.

PAN AWAY from Melinda to the reinforced metal door that she is facing. There is a deafening BOOM as something MASSIVE hits the door - then another, and another - each one louder than the last.

Then, as the shot comes fully into focus -

\- we can see the clear imprint of a giant FIST in the thick steel.

**47\. EXT. AN UNIDENTIFIED AIRFIELD - AFTERNOON**

SUDDEN CUT TO a wide airfield in the middle of a field of grass, gold and green. Dozens of abandoned quinjets are strewn across the tarmac. And between the jets are dozens of small, indistinct, dark THINGS.

HELA  
( _continuing, V.O._ )  
So when they face the ones  _I_  created -

As the shot SLOWLY ZOOMS in, we see that the dark spots are bodies - human bodies. Hundreds of people - some of them in SHIELD gear, others in civilian clothing - all of them torn apart, as if by wild animals. The carnage is HORRIFIC.

HELA  
( _continuing, V.O._ )  
\- what hope do they possibly have?

The shot slowly moves among the bodies -

HELA  
( _continuing, V.O._ )  
Humans are clever. Resourceful. Survival-oriented.

CLOSE ON the dead body of PHIL COULSON, sprawled across the ink-black asphalt.

HELA  
( _continuing, V.O._ )  
But they cannot cheat death forever.

**48\. EXT. THE FORBIDDEN CITY - EARLY MORNING**

HELA  
( _continuing, V.O._ )  
Earth had its chance.

CUT TO a close shot of NATASHA ROMANOFF's face - in profile against the rising sun. She is riding shotgun in a NJ2045 Chinese military truck - the first in a long, quick-moving convoy - and she is staring ahead at the Beijing city skyline. Beside her, a young Chinese man in sharp black special forces gear is driving, staring straight ahead down the road.

As the city grows larger on the horizon, Natasha's expression slowly changes from one of impatience -

\- to one of HORROR.

HELA  
( _continuing, V.O._ )  
But it all ends...

The shot slowly PANS AROUND to show the road ahead. Human bodies, freshly dead, LITTER the roadside. And up ahead, the entire city of Beijing -

HELA  
( _continuing, V.O.)  
_ Today.

\- is on FIRE.

**49\. EXT. DRAUGR BEIJING - EVENING**

LOKI  
Do not do this, Hela.  
( _beat_ )  
We can still make things right - so long as you have the stone.

Hela smiles ruefully.

HELA  
Oh, I have it.

She reaches up to the black lace draped around her shoulders and peels it up to reveal the soft skin at the base of her neck. There, embedded in her red, angry flesh, is the STONE.

HELA  
But it would be pointless to use it.  
( _beat_ )  
While you wandered the wilderness, I seeded the past with  _draugr_. I created an  _inevitability_. The end of Earth is not only imminent - it has now been going on for a thousand years. You would never be able to undo it all.

Loki's expression is haunted.

LOKI  
That stone is a curse.

HELA  
( _fervently_ )  
It is a  _gift._ It gives power beyond measure.

Hela stoops down next to Loki, and seizes him by the jaw.

HELA  
The kind of power to peel your skin from your bones -

Her face is only an inch from his. Her face is happy, eager, even manic.

HELA  
( _continuing_ )  
\- but keep you alive the entire time.

Tendrils of red-orange light begin to flicker around Hela's fingers and Loki's face. Loki presses his eyes closed and BELLOWS in anguish. Then -

FEMALE VOICE  
( _O.S._ )  
Let him go.

Hela's head jerks up; Loki drops to the ground, barely conscious. CUT TO JANE FOSTER, standing in the rain, some twenty feet behind Hela.

Hela doesn't hesitate, she SPRINTS toward Jane. She moves blindingly fast; in an instant, she is at Jane's side, and her right leg FLIES UP toward Jane's head in a powerful kick. Jane turns, and raises one arm to block her. Hela draws her leg back and KICKS again; this time Jane drops low, and Hela's foot flies over Jane's head in a wide arc. Jane rises up, just in time for Hela's THIRD kick to hit her right in the face; Jane staggers backward, spitting blood.

Hela HURTLES toward Jane to close the distance, but is stopped short when Jane slams a solid PUNCH into Hela's jaw. Hela strikes back with her left hand, but Jane catches Hela by the wrist - Jane punches Hela twice more, directly in the face. When she tries for a fourth, though, Hela drops low and SWEEPS her leg out, causing Jane to DROP to the ground. Hela then LEAPS on top of Jane and wraps both hands around Jane's throat, SUFFOCATING her. Jane gasps for air and claws at Hela, trying to free herself - but to no avail.

After several moments, Jane's body suddenly goes slack beneath Hela's hands. Hela grins with satisfaction, and releases Jane's head; it DROPS to the ground.

HELA  
( _in a whisper_ )  
Be satisfied in death, little one.

CLOSE ON Jane's face - suddenly, her eyes shoot open. She takes a GASPING BREATH and SEIZES Hela's black lace collar with both hands:

JANE  
( _hissing_ )  
Satisfaction's not in my nature.

BOTH Jane and Hela are ENGULFED in a ball of blinding white FIRE. Hela SCREAMS in agony as her flesh burns. With tremendous effort, Hela rolls away from Jane, away from the flames. Her skin is charred, and the black lace of her collar and dress has, in some places, MELTED into her skin. She slowly lifts her head - and catches sight of the metal cuff around Jane's wrist.

HELA  
( _in shock_ )  
_Tussmørke sverd._

Her expression changes to one of pure HATE.

HELA  
_Du tyv_.  
( _beat_ )  
_Du_ tispe _._

Hela makes a small gesture with one hand, and her own body is suddenly AGLOW with red and orange light. She again HURLS herself forward at Jane - and this time, as she passes through the sphere of white light, she is UNHARMED and unburnt. Jane staggers backward, but doesn't get out of Hela's way in time. Hela PINS Jane to the ground and grabs Jane's right wrist with her left hand:

HELA  
You shouldn't take things that aren't yours.

Hela flicks her right hand open, and the gray metal around Jane's wrist shifts and liquefies. The viscous gray fluid drips into Hela's palm, and in an instant re-forms into a CURVED BLADE. Hela doesn't hesitate - she turns IN toward Jane, pulling the smaller woman close with her free hand. She then presses the newly formed knife against Jane's body. Hela doesn't look away from Jane, but she addresses Loki:

HELA  
You said it yourself. This day, the next, a hundred years -  
( _beat_ )  
\- it's nothing.

CUT TO Loki, just beginning to come to.

LOKI  
Hela, no! D-

But there's no time. Hela DRIVES the knife between Jane's ribs.

HELA  
( _hissing_ )  
It's a heartbeat. You'll  _never_  be ready. The only woman whose love you prized -

She twists the blade, and there is a dull cracking sound. Jane cries out in pain.

HELA  
( _continuing_ )  
\- will be snatched from you.

Hela tugs the knife back out, and Jane drops to the ground. Jane's breathing is shallow and wet - but she is still breathing. Hela looks over her shoulder at Loki.

HELA  
Your words -  
( _beat_ )  
\- not mine.

Loki SNAPS. With what little energy is left, he shoves himself to his feet and leaps at Hela, bright arcs of green and white light flying out around his hands. Hela raises her arms in a protective gesture, and the gray metal knife CLATTERS to the ground. Red FIRE leaps up around her arms, and there is a loud SIZZLING sound as the red and green flames collide. They WRESTLE to the ground. Loki PUMMELS Hela repeatedly in the stomach; in response, she claws a cobblestone out of the ground and SLAMS it into the side of Loki's head. He reels sideways, off-balance. Hela casts the stone aside and advances on Loki.

BAM! Hela suddenly flies sideways, and tumbles across the square. CUT TO THOR, standing at the mouth of the rift; the hammer Mjölnir flies back into his outstretched hand. He is covered in bruises and wounds, and looks exhausted.

Loki stumbles to his feet, shaking off the rain.

LOKI  
I did not think you would come.

Thor smiles.

THOR  
You are my brother. Then - and now.

CLOSE ON Hela's face.

HELA  
( _coldly)_  
How touching.

She smacks her open right hand down onto the cobblestones in a burst of red-orange light. There is a low rumble, then a DEAFENING CRACK as the cobblestone steps EXPLODE around Thor. Thor SLAMS into the palace wall. Heavy stones tumble down around him.

Not far from Thor, Jane gives a low, anguished moan. She is trying to get up. Loki catches her eye, but she makes a small gesture with one hand:

JANE  
Don't worry about me.  
( _beat_ )  
Just  _kill_  that bitch.

Across the square, Hela comes to her feet and makes a run for Thor. Seeing her, Loki runs, too, and COLLIDES with Hela. He and Hela skid across the wet stones, coming to a stop at one corner of the square. Hela lashes out at Loki with FLARES of red-orange fire - one after another after another. Loki throws his arms up in a protective position, and a thin sphere of green light leaps up around him. The sphere quickly begins to flicker and fade, though, as Hela's attacks continue.

Just as the shield is about to give way completely, Hela is SUDDENLY YANKED backwards. Thor has her by the neck, and is forcibly DRAGGING Hela back across the square, toward the rift. Still in his grip, Hela nimbly ROLLS under Thor's arm and CLIMBS up on his back; she then wraps her arms around Thor's neck and begins to CHOKE the life out of him. Loki, meanwhile, scrambles to his feet and leaps at Hela, tearing her from Thor's back and throwing her to the ground. Loki quickly draws one of his two twin blades and JAMS it into Hela's thigh; she yells in pain, and rolls away from Loki, coming to her hands and knees. Before Loki can reach her, she SLAPS the ground again, and again the ground EXPLODES, this time knocking Loki flat on his back. Loki's head hits the ground with a sickening CRACK.

Hela tries to get to her feet again, but she doesn't move fast enough; as she attempts to get up, Thor SHOVES her back down. Pinning her there with his left hand, he raises the hammer Mjölnir, and channels a BRILLIANT BOLT of lightning down through the hammer. He then POUNDS the hammer down, directly on to Hela's sternum and ribs. Thor is relentless; he RAINS BLOWS down on Hela with the hammer; she SCREAMS in agony and thrashes wildly. There is blood EVERYWHERE.

After what seems like an eternity, Thor relents. He is desperately out of breath.

THOR  
If you make things right -  
( _gasping_ )  
\- I will let you live.

At her sides - where Thor cannot see - Hela clenches her hands into tight fists. Angry red light glows from between her fingers - and then the light solidifies, forming two long BLADES.

HELA  
( _almost inaudibly_ )  
I -  
( _beat_ )  
I have already made things right.

And without warning, she SHOVES the red blades into the soft space between Thor's chest and upper arms, on both sides of his metal chestplate. The blades dig deep into his flesh, puncturing his lungs and heart. Thor drops the hammer with a CLATTER and falls backward, away from Hela, clutching at his armor as blood POURS out of him.

LOKI  
( _anguished_ )  
No!

Thor's head drops back. Loki seizes Thor by the pauldrons of his armor, and shakes him -

LOKI  
( _desperately_ )  
Brother, no -

\- but it is no use.

Thor is dead.

Loki hangs his head, and his shoulders rock with silent weeping. He doesn't make a sound, but he bends down low, as if to Thor's broken body with his own. His mouth is moving, almost as if he is whispering something to Thor - but there is no sound. Loki takes a shuddering breath.

Then - after a moment - Loki lifts his head and looks again at Hela. She is COVERED in her own blood, and her ribcage has been crushed and mutilated where the hammer struck. She is breathing -

\- but not for long.

Hela drags in a short, insufficient breath. The shattered fragments of her ribs grind with the effort.

HELA  
There is nothing -  
( _wheezing_ )  
\- you can do.

Loki looks at Thor - then at Jane, who is barely clinging to consciousness.

LOKI  
I can destroy it.

Without warning, Loki DRIVES his hand into the soft space just below Hela's collarbone, and digs his fingers into her bloody, pulpy flesh. She HOWLS in pain as he begins to pry the orange stone OUT OF HER SKIN.

HELA  
( _frantic_ )  
Wait!

Loki pauses, his expression grim. Wheezing, Hela continues:

HELA  
( _continuing_ )  
If you destroy it -  _everything_ will change.  
( _beat_ )  
Everything you've done will be undone.

LOKI  
And everything  _you_  have done?

Hela says nothing, but her expression is panicked and desperate.

LOKI  
( _continuing_ )  
I am willing to take that chance.

He PRIES the stone fully out of Hela's flesh, and holds it in one hand.

HELA  
( _in great pain_ )  
Yes. But is she?

She nods toward Jane.

HELA  
( _quickly, desperately_ )  
If you destroy the stone, nothing is certain. You could create a timeline where you never knew each other. Where you are just as evil and hateful as you ever were.  
( _beat_ )  
Where she was never even born.  
( _beat_ )  
Or where  _you're_ the one who kills her.

Loki, too, turns to look at Jane. She looks directly at Hela as she speaks to Loki:

JANE  
Don't hesitate.  
( _beat_ )  
Just do it.

Then, with what seems like the last of her strength, she turns to face Loki.

JANE  
( _continuing_ )  
I'll find you.

Loki's expression is haunted and bereft.

LOKI  
I love you.

Jane gives a faint smile.

JANE  
I know.

With the last of her strength, Jane drags her broken body toward Loki, and closes her hand over his -

\- and Loki destroys the stone.

FADE TO WHITE.

**50\. EXT. NEW MEXICO DESERT - NIGHT**

SUDDEN CUT TO a large SUV, TEARING across the New Mexico desert in the middle of a blinding dust storm. Racks of bright lights attached to its roof and doors are barely visible through the thick, nearly opaque wall of dust. Howling winds whip sand and dirt across the field of view - but still the SUV races ahead at breakneck speed. And above the SUV, a GLOWING FUNNEL CLOUD is beginning to form. Then -

_KRAKABOOM!_

A huge BOLT OF LIGHTNING strikes down through the center of the funnel cloud. The SUV is ROCKED by the concussion. Then, a moment later, the SUV swerves hard in one direction. Then it swerves back in the opposite direction. The vehicle is still surging ahead when its headlights fall on -

A MAN. Directly in the vehicle's path, stumbling through the blinding winds.

The SUV starts to brake - then swerve - but it's too late. The side of the SUV slams into the man with a THUD, sending him flying. The SUV skids to a stop.

After a stunned moment, both the driver and passenger doors to the SUV open. Out of the driver's side door steps a shell-shocked young woman. Her dark hair is tucked up under a slouchy plaid hat, and a huge messenger bag is hanging from one shoulder.

Out of the passenger's side door leaps another woman - smaller, with lighter hair and a pair of sunglasses atop her head. She is wearing dark blue jeans and a brown bomber jacket, with the sleeves pushed up to her elbows. And around one wrist is a strange-looking BAND made from a lustrous gray metal.

Ahead of them, the man is lying on the ground - motionless, and out of focus.

DARCY  
( _accusingly_ )  
I think that was legally your fault.

Jane gives her a look.

JANE  
Get the first aid kit.

Darcy heads back inside the SUV as Jane, concerned, kneels next to the man - out of frame. CLOSE ON Jane's face.

JANE  
( _emphatically_ )  
Do me a favor and don't be dead.

The man GROANS, and she's startled. CUT TO the man's face -

\- and it's LOKI.

CUT TO BLACK.


End file.
